


Now I'm Always Home

by Twinklylightseverywhere



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Bipolar Disorder, Brief Mention of Violence, Emo Sex lmao, Europa, M/M, Mentions of Suicide Attempt, Minor Character Death, Non-Explicit Sex, Panic Attacks, Psychosis, but like briefly, get ready for a wild ride yo, mentions of depression, mentions of mania
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 20:19:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13689084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twinklylightseverywhere/pseuds/Twinklylightseverywhere
Summary: “Do not worry, Isak,” Marianne whispers, and her hair is dirty and matted, her face still covered in the Europan’s blood. “I will get you out of here.”Or: the one in which Isak and Even exist in different planets, and yet somehow, find each other.





	1. Mission: Find the Missing Europan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agarina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agarina/gifts).



> Hello!  
> If anyone is wondering why I've been a little absent, this fic is the reason why! I've spent a huge amount of my time pouring my life and soul into this fic. I really hope you enjoy!  
> First and foremost, this fic is for [Laura](http://www.spacepearl.tumblr.com), because I am her secret admirer for the Skam International Secret Admirer gift exchange. Laura, it's been an absolute pleasure meeting you and getting to know you. I really hope that you enjoy, you absolute sweetheart <3  
> Secondly, a huge thank you and shoutout to my amazing beta, [Sassy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/valtersass/pseuds/valtersass). You've been such an enormous help, and you've encouragement has really helped out when I've been stuck. Thank you so much <3  
> Thirdly, I would also like to thank my love, [Mack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvensDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/EvensDramaticShenanigans), who helped me out so much with plot and who encouraged me to keep writing throughout this entire process. Thank you bb <3  
> Long intro out of the way, I am so excited for you to read this! Come join me on this crazy-ass journey!  
> 

Location: Europa, Jupiter.

21/06/1999 kl. 21:21, Earth time.

The baby is sleeping soundly in its mother’s arms.

The air around them is frigid, just the perfect temperature for the baby to sleep.

The mother looks around to her surroundings, taking in the vastness of her homeland. The water (Europa translation: not found) laps gently onto the shore. She feels at peace.

 _This baby will have a good life,_ she thinks.

Indeed this baby will have a good life. The genes passed down onto it are strong, resilient. The baby’s life givers come from a line of important figures of Europa’s founding. Europa’s inhabitants are generally very technical, aiding in the founding of Earth and its inhabitants (or people, as they call themselves). However, this genetic line in particular, the mother’s life-givers, created the technology possible to contact Earth. This baby will be a big part of this, one day, when it has matured fully.

The mother turns back to her home, to her people, ready to prepare this baby for its life, when suddenly, a loud noise makes her turn back around.

On the water, blades spinning maniacally, is a ship. Not unlike the ships that Europa’s people use to travel to Earth. Water sprays everywhere, on the mother's face, wakes the baby, who begins to cry in discomfort.

As far as the mother knows, no Earth missions have been been approved as of late.

Through the whistling of the wind, the shrill squeaking of the spinning blades, the mother knows that the Gods are angry.

From the distance, she can hear her mate screaming for her to come back inside, however, she is stuck, paralyzed with fear. The Europan inhabitants are logical beings, they know the risks of fight-or-flight. However, human-like instincts claw at her, rooting her to the sand, fear rippling through her body. She cannot even begin to comfort her offspring, who is now wailing.

The ship descends, right on the shore, and the spinning blades begin to slow. Despite the wind slowing down, the water stilling, the Gods must still be angry. For this feeling of pure panic has not been abolished. Rather, it has increased tenfold, as the large door to the ship begins to open.

From the door’s entrance, the mother can see beings, and to her surprise, they are not unlike her. However, she knows that they are different. They are not Europan. They are human.

“Europan,” the Earthling in the front says. It appears to be of the male gender. “We only want peace.”

The mother, from her studies of these people, knows just enough of their mother tongue, English, in order to understand him.

This still does not comfort her, however. There is not Europan translation for the English word “peace”. Rather, the Gods balance the Ocean and the Land.

Instead, she grips her offspring tighter to her chest. The Earthlings have no business here.

“Why are you here?” she says, and her voice does not waver, despite the fear. “We have an agreement.”

“We do,” the Earthling says, and he steps out of the doorway. From behind him, his people step out as well, hazard masks intact. “However, we would like to meet with your Leader, to talk about these supposed rules.”

“We have agreed on peace,” the mother says stubbornly, however, she cannot shake the feelings of disturbance from her core. The humans, covered in their protective gear, ironically, appear the least human. “We have agreed that no humans or Europans shall visit each other.”

“A little too late for that, yes?” the human says, and the mother can see the smirk beneath his hazard mask.

“This will not end well for you, human,” she hisses, covering her baby’s face, as if shielding it from the ugliness of the beings in front of her. “We do not take broken promises lightly.”

“Let me see your Leader.” This is not a request. This is a demand.

“No,” she says, and this must truly be a Godless land, because the entire planet is out of balance.

The human makes a gesture, and some of his people step forward. They are carrying weapons, the mother believes that they are called guns.

She does not step back. She must stand her ground.

“Come with us, then,” the human says, and the guns are pointed to her. She is not stupid, she knows what guns are. She knows that she is, how the humans put it, in deep shit. She also must protect her people, her baby, her future.

From the corner of her eyes, she can see her mate run towards her, and then subsequently get tackled down to the ground. She forces herself to remain still.

“You will be punished for this,” she says.

The humans are closing in on her. She wishes now that she had brought her communication device with her when she had stepped out onto the beach. But alas, it is inside her living quarters.

The grab onto her arms, pull her forward, and press the barrel of the gun to her head. If she did not have a baby in her arms, she would be fighting wildly. However, she cannot harm her offspring like this. She must ensure its future.

“The child comes with us too,” the human beside her says, and she shivers, despite the fact that her body thrives in the cold.

“Please,” she says, because she does not have any other options. She knows humans like the back of her hand. She has studied them her entire life. She knows the power of human empathy. “Leave the child be.”

“It is the perfect specimen,” the human says, and she knows that human empathy has no place here.

They stop at the front of the ship, and another human approaches them from the inside. The mother can tell that its gender is female.

“Hello,” she says, her tone warm and unfamiliar. Her way of speaking is different from the rest. “My name is Marianne. You have a beautiful child.”

The mother says nothing. She simply stares coldly at the woman in front of her.

“Don’t worry,” Marianne continues, and now the mother can tell that she probably speaks another tongue other than english. “It will be safe here. Is it a boy or a girl?”

The mother shakes her head. The Europan people do not have a concept of gender in the same way that humans do. The baby will be able to reproduce one day, and impregnate another, this is all she knows.

“Do they have a name?” she asks instead, and the mother shakes her head.

Marianne looks down at the device on her wrist, and murmurs to herself. “Klokka 21.21, the sacrifice to God,” her tongue is now unfamiliar, however the noises emitting from her mouth are a little more similar to Europan tongue. “The birth of Isaac.”

The mother says nothing. She does not understand human religion.

“Isak,” she says, and she looks lovingly at the baby in the mothers arms. “In Norwegian.”

The mother has a vague understanding of the Earth country Norway, and figures this must be where the woman is from. To her, however, this is not of importance.

“Shut up, Marianne,” says a male voice behind her, the mother is once again reminded of the situation at hand. “This baby is just a specimen.”

_No._

Before she can stop herself, she turns around and spits in the man’s face.

He raises his gun to her face, and pulls the trigger.

Typically, when the Europan people die, they become one with the Ocean. This must truly be a Godless land, however, because the mother only sees black.

 

Location: Washington DC, USA, Earth.

23/06/1999 kl. 21.21, Earth time.

“Do not worry, Isak,” Marianne whispers, and her hair is dirty and matted, her face still covered in the Europan’s blood. “I will get you out of here.”

 

Location: Oslo, Norway, Earth

03/10/2016 kl. 03.27, Earth time.

Isak thinks that it’s hotter than Satan’s asscrack in his room.

He’s lying in his room, clad only in boxers, and while he isn’t sweating, he feels as if his body is melting.

He’d kicked off the duvet probably about four hours ago, when he’d actually started to try sleeping. Four hours later, however, and he hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

Isak loves biology. He knows that all humans are endotherms, which means that they regulate their temperature from organs within their bodies. They get their heat from their metabolism, from the way in which blood is pumped through their veins. So why in the hell is Isak so fucking _warm?_ He has come to the conclusion that he must have a really slow metabolism, unlike every other teenage boy that he has met.

He knows that his friends probably eat about ten times the amount that he does, and they never gain weight from it. Isak can eat light amounts, and be just as satisfied. When winter comes around, everyone is wearing scarves and thick winter jackets. Isak feels just fine in regular clothes.

His friends like to joke that Isak is an anomaly. As he opens the window to let the cold winter air in, sighing in relief, he can’t help but agree with them.

 

Location: West-Europa, Jupiter

02/10/2016 kl. 03.27, Earth time

Even breathes in the frigid air one last time before stepping aboard the ship.

From now on, all of the air that he will be breathing in will be stifled, and Earth’s atmosphere will dampen his mobility just a little bit, due to the warmer temperatures. Although he is given medication to help keep his internal temperature cold, he still can’t help but mourn what makes him Europan.

Even knows humans. He’s spent his entire life studying them. He knows just how complex and problematic they are. He knows that the US government is corrupt. He knows that humans have murdered their people and have stolen one of their own.

It happened when Even was a youngling. The story is always told in the same way. US government sends out a secret team to Europa to take one of his kind for experimentation, despite the pact that had already been established. Rather than taking a fully developed Europan, which would’ve been bad enough, they took a mother and a baby, murdered the mother, and then left.

Thanks to a certain human named Marianne Valtersen, they had been able to track the baby’s whereabouts to Norway, Earth. According to Marianne, she had taken the baby from the hands of the US government and had attempted to raise it as one of her own offspring. Her message was sent as a brief, hurried, and panicked voice recording, not long after the baby was stolen.

Europa has not had any direct contact with Earth since. From all they know, the baby is still living in Norway, yet to be tracked down.

Finally, eighteen earth years later, the expedition to Earth to reclaim the baby was happening. Even just had to go.

He had to experience Earth for himself. Despite all of the horrible things that humans have done, Even can’t help but feel a strange sort of connection to them. Despite wars and famine and murder and poverty, humans still have the capability to turn the complete abstract into something beautiful. Shakespeare, for example, who took language and turned it into something more than just a handy form of communication. He turned words into _feelings._ Something that Europans tended to shut down were feelings. After all, they hindered progress, in terms of efficiency and productivity. However, Even saw something beautiful in the expression of feelings through language. It was a completely human concept, as to his knowledge, no other species in the universe used language the same way that humans did. It was a way to not only be heard, but to be understood.

Not being understood is something that Even has spent his entire life trying to avoid.

The Europans call it his “affliction”. The high highs, followed by the low lows. The real reason why Even decided that it would be a good idea to sneak off with his previous girlfriend and try to jump from the roof of Headquarters. Not because he wanted to die, but because he believed that he _wouldn’t_ die. It was the real reason why Even had to be forcefully dragged down from the ledge, kicking and screaming, and be restrained down to his bed at night. The real reason why Even couldn’t get out of bed two days later.

The humans, however imperfect and greedy they may be, have a proper name for this. Not only do they have a proper name, but they have a comprehensive history, pharmaceuticals, and therapies all dedicated to help people affected by this affliction. People who are bipolar.

Since he was offered the chance to travel to Earth, Even dove in headfirst. Every youngling Europan is required to learn English alongside the native Europan language. Since the baby’s last known whereabouts was Norway, Even is also required to learn Norwegian. The grammar rules of any language is absolutely terrible, but Even definitely prefers Norwegian over English. For some reason, the sounds were more similar to Europan, and so Even didn’t have a very obvious accent like he did whenever he spoke English. Phonetically, it was the easier language, and Even figured that since he’d watched enough Norwegian teen dramas, his accent wouldn’t be too noticeable.

Regardless of whether or not Even was ready, he was leaving, and he wouldn’t come back for a very long time.

The cover mission was simple. He and his tribe members would travel to Oslo. From there, they would be assigned to go undercover as regular highschool students. He, Mikael, Elias, and Sana would be assigned to Hartvig Nissens Skole, where they would have to study and blend in. Their real mission, however, would be to look out for the missing youngling. They needed to interact with the humans, and find the missing Europan.

The mission to find the missing baby started when Even was just a youngling. His birthgivers had thrown him into a laboratory, along with other offsprings that were around his age. From there, they were required to study humans; what they did, how they interacted, and their traditions. From there, the offsprings would be sent to Earth with the sole purpose of finding this baby, and returning it to Earth.

Even knows his mission, but he can’t stop himself from looking forward to the luxuries that he will have upon entering the new planet. He can start treatment. He can have unlimited access to movies, and tv shows, and novels, and a whole new culture that is so much better. He wants to _love._

He can’t help but admire characters such as Romeo and Juliet, who are so in love, that they die for each other. While Even doesn’t particularly want to die, he certainly wants to know what the feeling is. Even wants to know what it’s like to care for someone so much, that he would risk his life for them.

Although Even has been waiting for this day for so long, has been waiting to leave his frigid home, he can’t help but look back one last time. Europa is getting smaller and smaller with every second. Even can’t help but think that this may be the last time he’ll ever see this planet again. Somehow, he can’t help but smile.

 

Location: Oslo, Norway, Earth

04/10/2016 kl. 8:05

Isak has Norwegian first. Normally, he would be fine with that, seeing as languages came pretty easily to him. Today, however, the autumn heat combined with a lack of sleep has given him the world’s worst headache.

So there he sits, head pounding, trying to listen to his teacher ramble on and on about prepositions, when suddenly, there is a knock on the door.

The whole class looks up, and standing at the door is the Principal. Stood next to him is a girl, probably about the same age as Isak. She is pretty, but her gaze is soul-piercing. Her brown eyes somehow look cold, her darker skin somehow is pale, and her mouth is twisted into a smirk, as if to say “I know exactly what you’re thinking right now.”

She wears all black, from her hijab to her shoes. In fact, the only skin that is actually showing is her face and her hands.

Just by looking around to his other classmates, Isak can tell that they’re all thinking the exact same thing as him. This girl is fucking scary.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the Principal says, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I just wanted to introduce our new transfer, Sana. She’ll be with us for the rest of the year.”

“Thank you!” Isak’s teacher says, clearly perturbed by the awkward atmosphere. “Sana, you can go ahead and sit in the back, next to Isak.”

Isak curses to himself. Of course, the one day he’d decided to sit next to no one.

Sana simply nods and gives the Principal a strained smile.

“Thanks,” she says, and Isak frowns. There’s something strange about her accent. She’s definitely Norwegian, but she obviously isn’t from Oslo. Isak can’t even place the accent right now, although he’s normally pretty good at that.

He moves over slightly as she makes her way over to his table, and gives her a small smile in greeting. Rather than being social, however, Isak decides to rest his head in his arms. His body sighs in relief as he does this, the throbbing in his head subsiding slightly. Isak wishes that Paracetamol worked for him, but alas, his body seemed resistant to just about every single drug except for weed. And as much as Isak would like to smoke a bowl right now, that wouldn’t really be appropriate, given the circumstances.

Another thing that wouldn’t be appropriate right now would be taking off his t-shirt. Isak typically wouldn’t, except the sun shining through the window was practically enough to make him melt. Seriously, who thought that windows were a good idea anyway?

To his surprise, he hears Sana turn towards him, shifting in her chair, as the teacher begins mindlessly droning on again.

“Hei,” she says. Her tone is cold, formal, and Isak gets the impression that she isn’t very social. He would question as to why she was talking to him, but then again, he couldn’t imagine that being the new kid was very easy.

“Halla,” he says, lifting his head momentarily to give her a small smile. The least that he could do was making sure that she felt welcome.

She stares at him, almost analyzing him with her glare. “You okay?” she asks, and Isak does a double take.

“What?” he asks, because seriously, what the fuck.

“You seem like you’re in distress,” she says, and there is it again, the strange indifference in her voice, almost as she lacks empathy. Isak can tell that isn’t the case, however. She seems like she actually cares, however, it certainly does seem like she isn’t used to talking to strangers.

“It’s just really hot in here,” Isak says, not expecting her to agree. No one ever seems to understand Isak’s intolerance to heat.

“It is, isn’t it?” she says, and then winks, as if it’s obvious.

 _What the fuck,_ Isak thinks, burying his head in his arms again as Sana turns back to her work.

 

Location: Hartvig Nissens Skole, Oslo, Norway

04/10/2017 kl. 12:23

Even has to say, out of all the education that he has received, this is by far the best. The teachers may be a little biased in their lessons, sure, but that was the best part about it. The education that he had received in Europa was all the same: here are the facts and this is what you will do with them. On Earth, the teachers asked questions, they had opposing viewpoints, and they allowed room for discussion. Even had found himself sitting in class, having to physically stop himself from keeping his mouth agape. Instead, he allowed his brain to soak in all the beautiful opinions. This was why Even came to Earth. He suddenly doesn’t care about the mission. No, he cares about his new life. He wants to live with these people, learn their ways through experience, not a screen. He wants opinions of his own, he wants to debate other people. Sure, facts make the world spin around, but opinions make the world worth living in.

He sits with Elias and Mikael at lunch, who are in deep discussion about how to find some “good kush”. Because, of course, Elias and Mikael didn’t go to Earth just for selfless reasons. They speak in Norwegian, because Europan is in no way familiar to any Earthling. Somehow, Even doesn’t mind. He loves the ease of Norwegian. To him, it’s easier than English, and has better structure than Europan.

Despite World Wars and Plague, the Humans are pretty damn smart. They came up with multiple translatable systems of languages. Languages with structure, rules, but that still possess the capability to change from generation to generation. Now that is pure genius.

He’s interrupted by his thoughts when he hears a loud laugh from the table across the cafeteria. When he looks up, he sees him.

The boy wasn’t the one who laughed, however, he was the only one Even had eyes for.

Curly, blonde hair tucked away in a hat, pale skin, pouty expression. Undeniably male.

Even loves the human concept of gender. He loves how people use it to express themselves. In Europa, gender is purely reproduction. Europan doesn’t even have gendered pronouns. Even calling himself a “he” is based off his knowledge of his body, Earth media, and his personal opinion. That’s how it is with Mikael, Elias, and Sana too. Not to mention, their names are completely fabricated. More like the best fit translation from Europan to Norwegian.

Either way, Even cannot help himself from being attracted to this boy. Despite the fact that they cannot reproduce, in any way, shape or form, the boy is really fucking _cold._ If Even had to estimate, he was at least -200°c. That’s fucking awesome.

“He’s so _cold,”_ Even moans, before he can help himself, which alerts Mikael and Elias turn to him.

“Who is?” Mikael asks, his tone sweet, a wolfish grin already forming on his face.

Even nods his head over in the boy’s direction. “Red hat, blonde hair,” he says, although he tries his best to be subtle.

“Ooh, I’d say he’s maybe -160°c?” Elias pipes in, and Even rolls his eyes.

“No way,” Even argues, and he steals one of Elias’ french fries from his plate. “He’s at least a -200°c.”

The boys whistle in appreciation.

“Wow,” Mikael says, eyebrows raised in admiration. “You didn’t even rate Sonja that high.”

“Yeah, well,” Even sighs, rolling his eyes again, because, did they really need to keep bringing Sonja up? She was just, as the Humans call it, a fuck buddy. “Look at how gorgeous he is.”

“How gorgeous who is?” says a voice behind him, and Even doesn’t think he’s ever turned around so quickly. Fortunately, it’s just Sana, who is standing there with an unimpressed look in her eyes.

Stood next to her is a human female, probably of the same age, with blonde hair. She smiles at Even brightly, and Even finds himself unable to stop himself from smiling too.

“This is my new friend, Vilde,” says Sana, motioning to the young girl. “Vilde, this is my brother Elias and his friends, Even and Mikael.”

“Halla!” Vilde chirps brightly. Elias and Mikael wave awkwardly at her, unused to Earth greetings. Even who has seen more movies than any of them, sticks his hand out to shake Vilde’s.

Vilde lets out a squeak of excitement, and shakes Even’s hand enthusiastically.

“Hi Vilde,” Even says, and he tried to make his tone warm (ugh) and inviting. “Nice to meet you.”

“Even, right?” Vilde asks, letting go of Even’s hand and putting her own hand in her pocket, presumably to warm it up. “Have you thought about joining the Revue?”

Even looks around to his friends, who all shrug. Sana gives him a look, as if to say, _go along with it._

“Uh, maybe?” Even shrugs his shoulders, going for an air of nonchalance. “I haven’t really thought that far ahead yet. I’m just trying to get used to this new school.”

“Of course!” Vilde exclaims, and honestly, her enthusiasm is adorable. _“Kosegruppa_ is a great way to meet new people, though!”

 _“Kosegruppa?”_ Mikael blurts out, and Even wants to laugh at the dirty glare that Sana shoots his way. “What do you guys do in _Kosegruppa?”_

“Well, we make sure that there is, well, kos,” Vilde says, and Even has a vague recollection of learning the Norwegian word somewhere. “We bake, make buns, spread love, and generally just have a good time. The first meeting is this Friday if you’re interested.”

“How many people are going to be there?” Sana asks, and Even has to hand it to her, Sana is a damn good actor when she wants to be.

“I’ve invited most of the second-years who aren’t in any Revue, but anyone is welcome to come,” Vilde frowns for a second, and looks behind her. “Actually, I haven’t asked Jonas and Isak to join! I’m sure they’d love it!”

“Jonas and Isak?” Even asks, before he can help himself. Normally, how wouldn’t care that much about two random second-years, except for the fact that Vilde is staring right at the blonde boy and his friend, and well. Even absolutely cannot pass up the opportunity to get to know him.

“Oh! Jonas is my friend Eva’s boyfriend, and Isak is-” Vilde starts, but is suddenly interrupted by Sana.

“I know Isak,” she says, and she gives Even a pointed look. Even likes to imagine that if he were an endotherm, he would be blushing right now. “He sits next to me in Norwegian.”

“The blonde one?” Mikael asks, shooting Even a shit-eating grin.

“Yeah,” Sana shrugs, and then she turns to Vilde. “Say, Vilde, what is Isak normally like?”

“He’s really smart,” Vilde says, somehow not even confused at the random question. “But he’s really nice! He always helps me with bio!”

“He takes bio?” Sana asks, or rather, demands, in the way that she normally does. The fact that Vilde doesn’t even flinch totally makes sense. He can see why Sana has befriended this girl.

“Oh yeah! _Programfag hans_ are general sciences. Isn’t that yours, too?” Vilde asks, and Sana’s eyes twinkle in recognition.

“They are!” Sana exclaims, smiling widely, enough that her dimples show.

“Either way though, I don’t think he’ll join _Kosegruppa,_ I don’t think it’s really his thing,” Vilde frowns, looking back at the two boys again. “I’m sure Jonas will, maybe.”

“Oh, he’ll join,” Sana says, and Even exchanges glances with his friends. Sana can be seriously scary when she wants to. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Will you?” Vilde gasps, her eyes lighting up again. “That would be so great! The more the merrier!”

“I’ll go too,” Even blurts out before he can help himself, and four set of eyes land on him. Sana smirks at him, her eyes flitting over to Isak before landing back on him again.

“Wonderful!” Vilde smiles, clapping her hands together, bouncing up and down in delight. “I’m sure you’ll love it!”

She gives one last smile to Sana and the boys before walking off, straight up to Isak and Jonas, presumably to ask them about _Kosegruppa._

Even, however, is more concerned with the smirks from the boys, and the glare from Sana.

 _“What are you doing?”_ Sana hisses, and Even flinches.

“What!” Elias challenges, much to Even’s dismay. “We weren’t doing anything!”

“You’re not socialising!” Sana accuses, pointing her finger at Mikael and Elias, who both splutter in disagreement. “How do you expect for us to find _it_ if you don’t meet people?”

“Yeah, c’mon guys,” Even says, voice shaky, because honestly, Sana is fucking scary. “Socialise a bit!”

“And you!” Sana bites in a harsh whisper, pointing her finger solely at Even. “No falling for humans! We have a job!”

“I wasn't!” Even defends himself, and glares at Elias and Mikael for back-up. “I was just saying that he’s really cute.”

“Cute?” snorts Mikael, who doesn’t defend Even at all, the fucker. “What happened to, _he’s a solid -200°c?”_

“-200°c?” Sana scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. “Not even Sonja was that cold for you!”

“Yeah, well,” Even shrugs, willing himself not to stare at the gorgeous boy again. “He may be human, but he’s colder than any Europan will ever be.”

“Oj!” Elias shouts, raising his hand for a high-five, presumably because he’d seen it on television before. Even slaps his hand in quiet defeat.

Unfortunately, the noise, nor the shouting were quiet, and suddenly, the entire cafeteria is staring at them. Including Isak.

As much as Even would like to bash his head against the table, he can’t help but meet Isak’s eye. Fortunately, Isak doesn’t give him any sort of weird look. Rather, Isak simply stares at him.

Even allows himself to stare back, and they have a moment of quick, but intense eye contact.

Well, this is interesting.

“Even!” a feminine voice snaps Even back into focus. Sana. “You’re going to _Kosegruppa_ this friday, and no falling for humans!”

She stalks away, probably to go find some strange _kos_ friends.

Mikael and Elias turn back to him, and it’s almost scary how mischievous they look.

“So, -200°c, eh?”

 

Location: Hartvig Nissens Skole, Oslo, Norway

05/10/2017 kl. 10:22

The minute that Isak walks into biology and sees Sana sitting at his table, he knows that today is going to be a weird day.

To be honest, yesterday was a weird day too. Not only are there apparently a bunch of new transfers, but also, one of them is insanely attractive. To be fair, all of them were attractive. But the blonde one, oh man.

 _Oh man,_ indeed, seeing as Isak had a totally gay-man-crush on this guy. Not like, a bromance, but a full on gay crush.

In other words, his closeted gay ass is totally fucked.

“Hei, Isak!” Sana says to him as he sits down, a little off center, forcing Isak to stupidly shuffle around the chair in order to regain his balance.

“Hei, Sana,” he says, not impolitely, albeit slightly confusedly.

“So, I was working on the homework yesterday, and I was wanting a second opinion on one of the questions. Vilde was telling me that you liked bio?”

“Oh, yeah!” Isak sighs in relief. Sana may seem a little strange, but he’s really glad she isn’t _that_ strange. At least she’s able to get ahead on homework. “Which question?”

“Number 5,” she says, nudging her notebook over to Isak so that he can look at her very neat writing. _“Describe the difference between hypovolemic and osmotic thirst.”_

“Okay so,” Isak begins, and he puts on his “serious face”, as Jonas likes to call it. “Hypovolemic thirst is due to an actual loss of fluids, so like, by intense sweating or extreme blood loss. Hypovolemic thirst is the one you need to look out for, because it puts you at a huge risk. The loss of fluid will be detected by your baroreceptors, which will then send the signal to the brain. The brain will then perceive your body as thirsty, and will crave salty foods, as you are upsetting the balance of the solutes in the fluid that you are using. It also initiates the sympathetic nervous system, which-”

“I know what the sympathetic nervous system is,” Sana interrupts, and Isak furrows his brows. “I know how to read a textbook. What I was wondering about was your opinion on thirst in a non-homeostatic system.”

“Non-homeostatic?” Isak frowns for a second, because seriously, what is this girl on about? “I mean there are other species that don’t have the same homeostatic systems as us but like, I don’t exactly know what you’re talking about?”

Sana rolls her eyes, as if the answer is supposed to be obvious. “What about Ectotherms?” she challenges, and Isak has to hold back a scoff.

“Are we talking about hypovolemic thirst here, or just homeostasis in general?” Isak fires back, just because Sana is getting under his skin.

“Homeostasis, Einstein,” Sana retorts, nudging her hijab back into place. Isak hadn’t even realised that it had been askew. “You know, the process of keeping physiological systems constant?”

“I know how to read a textbook, thanks,” Isak says, smirking at the chance to finally one-up Sana. To his amusement, Sana glares at him, clicking her tongue audibly.

“So, ectotherms?” Sana repeats, raising her eyebrows dramatically.

“Ectotherms still have a way of regulating their temperature though,” Isak argues, looking straight into her somehow cold, brown eyes. “They have behavioural actions, like bathing in the sun to keep warm, or lying on a warm rock to activate their digestive system. All of that is evolutionary.”

“And what do you do when you get cold, Isak?” Sana asks, narrowing her eyes in a way that somehow leaves Isak feeling way too exposed.

“I…” Isak stops to think for a second, because honestly, he doesn’t really get cold. “I wear a jacket?”

“You’re not sure what you do?” Sana questions, a small smirk on her face.

“No!” Isak argues, and then stops. “I mean yes?”

“Right,” Sana says, leaning back on her chair, as if to say, _I’ve won._ “How ‘bout you tell me more about this tomorrow at _Kosegruppa._ We’ll have snacks and we’ll make sure that the room isn’t too cold, that way you won’t need to wear a jacket.”

 _“Kosegruppa?”_ Isak whines, rolling his eyes. “I already told Vilde no!”

“Isak,” Sana says, and suddenly, her face softens. “Me and my brother are new to this whole school. I’ve barely made any friends, and he isn’t too keen on socialising. He just kind of stays alone with his friends. You were the first person who was actually nice to me around here. I’d really appreciate if you just come and check it out with me.”

“Sana,” Isak sighs, dropping his bitchy front right away. “I guess I can come to one meeting, but I barely know anyone there either.”

“That’s fine!” Sana blurts, and Isak can see the small smile in her eyes. “I managed to convince one of my brothers’ friend to come along, I’m sure you two will get along.”

“Brothers’ friends?” Isak asks before he can help himself, and he can’t help but think back to the mystery blonde that he’d seen speaking to Sana the other day. The boy who’d made Isak’s entire world spin on its axis just by smiling.

“Yeah, his name is Even?” Sana says, and suddenly, the smirk is back. “You’ve probably seen him around. Tall, blonde hair? Always hangs out with my loser of a brother?”

“Oh,” Isak squeaks in a way that he hopes is nonchalant. “I think I’ve seen him around.”

“Great!” Sana says, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “It starts at 19:00.”

She turns back to her work fully, and before Isak can reply, the lesson starts.

He can’t help but have a strange feeling about this girl. She seems nice enough, and she challenges Isak’s ideas. However, he can’t help but feel a strange sense of familiarity around her. Like somehow, he’s seen her before. Logically, he knows this isn’t true. However, something about her cold demeanour feels comforting.

 

Location: Oslo, Norway, Earth

25/06/2003  kl.14:35

“Mamma!” squeaks a small voice near Marianne’s legs. “Come look at my legos!”

However, Marianne cannot look at Isak’s legos. She can only stare at her newborn daughter in Terje’s arms, her evil little eyes glinting.

Her newborn daughter, who threatens the safety of her entire family. And of course, her alien son, who is bathed in the cold, sticky blood of his birth mother. The blood has never left Marianne, it has followed her around this whole time. It has followed Isak around this whole time.

Isak, who was so horribly ripped away from his home. The blood of Christ is on his hands and it will never leave.

“No, Isak,” Marianne says, not keeping her eyes off of the devil incarnate in front of her. “You must learn to be alone.”

“But Mamma!” little Isak protests, his blood-stained hands tugging at the hem of Marianne’s dress.

“Isak!” Marianne scolds, finally taking her eyes off her daughter for a second to bend down at Isak’s height. “Do not be selfish! You must learn to keep these things to yourself! Especially in front of your sister.”

“Why does she have to be here?” Isak whines, stomping his foot petulantly. “Now you only care about her!”

“Come here,” Marianne says, beckoning her son forward into her arms, leaning in to whisper into his ear. “When the time is right, you and I will figure out a way to get rid of her.”

“Get rid of her?” Isak questions, his wide eyes bulging out of the sockets.

“We must purge our house of sin,” Marianne whispers, suddenly very aware of her husband standing mere metres away. “The blood of Christ on your hands will protect us in the meantime, Isak.”

“Mamma?” Isak’s terrified voice is distant, muffled.

“My sweet boy,” Marianne continues, the glaze in her eyes becoming more pronounced. “I fell in love with you the moment I laid my eyes upon you.”

She hugs Isak’s small protesting body to hers. Normally, he is much too cold to comfortably handle. Right now, however, he calms the tumultuous fire of hell that is raging through her home.

 

Location: Hartvig Nissens Skole, Oslo, Norway

06/10/2017 kl. 19:04

Even’s seen this so many times in films.

He’s going to walk into _Kosegruppa,_ fashionably late, and he’s going to make Isak swoon. That is, if Sana was able to work her magic.

Even seriously wonders sometimes why Sana is the way that she is. Most of the time, she is distant, and impersonal. Sometimes, however, he sees her smile.

Sana’s smile could light up the entire planet, honestly. It only ever seems to come out, as the humans put it, once every blue moon.

Even thinks that if Isak smiled, he would light up the entire galaxy.

His plan is a little foiled when he bursts through the doors, because suddenly, he is being hit in the chest.

By that, of course, he means that he has been ambushed by a much smaller, much more peppy, blonde teenage girl. She wraps her arms around his torso, and squeals out an “Even, you came!”

Of course, Vilde.

Even has seen this gesture before. The humans call it hugging. Something that close friends do, or apparently, people who barely know each other?

Even seriously needs to brush up on his hugging knowledge, as he wasn’t aware that he and Vilde were on hugging status yet. However, he can’t deny how much he likes it.

It’s not that he’s attracted to Vilde or anything, but rather, she’s soft and the hug feels comforting in the best way possible. Even thinks he could totally get used to this whole pretending to be a human thing.

Especially when he can see Isak no-so-subtly staring at him, and especially when he can’t help but not-so-subtly stare back.

“Alright!” Vilde interrupts, finally letting go of Even so that she can walk to the middle of the stage with a couple other girls, including Sana, in tow. “Now that Even’s here we can get started!”

Even goes ahead and takes his cue to sit down, just a couple rows down from Isak. As much as he’d love to just plop down right next to the gorgeous boy, he doesn’t think that would be socially acceptable. It doesn’t take a human to have common sense.

“Hello, and welcome everyone!” Vilde starts, clapping her hands together. “I’ll have everyone here introduce themselves. This is…”

Vilde motions to the redhead next to her, who identifies herself as Eva. Even vaguely remembers Vilde mentioning the fact that Eva was dating Isak’s friend, Jonas.

The other girls go down a line introducing themselves; Noora, Chris, and of course, Sana.

“And I’m Vilde,” Vilde says, ending the small chain of introduction. “I’m so happy to be your _Kosegruppa_ leader! This group is all about spreading _kos_ through the magic of baking and love! Now, I realize that spreading love isn’t something that everyone is used to, so we’ll do a bit of an exercise before we start talking about the more technical side of the the group meetings. I’ll have everyone stand up, please!”

Even stands up tentatively, sneaking a quick look behind him to see Isak doing the same. He can’t help but smile to himself as he realises that Isak is rolling his eyes.

“Okay, now everyone come down to the stage!” Vilde calls out, and Even turns around to step back down the stairs. He can feel the presence of Isak a couple of steps behind him, however, presses on until he reaches Sana at the foot of the stage.

“Having fun?” She murmurs, nudging Even with her elbow.

“Are _you_ having fun?” Even teases, wrapping his arm around her much shorter frame.

Although Sana is squirming in discomfort, Even can’t help but feel that he’s found his new way of greeting people. Hugs! What an amazing inventors, these humans.

“Okay!” Vilde’s voice interrupts from somewhere in the periphery. Sana seems to take this as a chance to slide out from under Even’s arm. “So we’re going to be partnering you up with someone you have never met before, and then we’ll go around and hand out some cards with general questions that you need to ask the other person.”

Seems easy enough, Even thinks, as Vilde and her friends go around and start placing people together.

 _“No, Eva!”_ Hisses a voice somewhere to his right. The voice is familiar, masculine, and oh so sweet.

Even turns around to see a reluctant Isak being dragged by the arm by a redhead on a mission.

“Hi there!” She says, stopping right in front of Even, who is now suddenly realising that he’s stood completely alone. “You’re Even, right?”

“Yes,” Even replies, and because he wants to give off the impression to Isak that he’s friendly, he goes in for the hug. “Nice to meet you, Eva!”

Eva giggles into his chest and wraps her arms around Even’s middle. Isak looks down to the floor, seemingly very interested in his shoes.

“Even,” Eva says, pulling away from the hug with a big, flushed smile on her face. “This is Isak, he’ll be your partner for this activity.”

“Hi, Isak,” Even murmurs, maintaining what he hopes is sexy eye contact with the boy, who looks up at the mention of his name. “Nice to meet you.”

Isak gives a small nod in acknowledgement, but doesn’t say a word. If Even has to take a guess, he seems a little shy.

 _Okay,_ Even thinks _, I can still work with this._

“Can I give you a hug?” Even blurts, and okay, this may not be as smooth as he’d like, but at least he’s asking for consent.

“Uh…” Isak stutters for a moment, his green eyes widening in surprise. “Okay?”

Even grins, opening his arms wide and reeling Isak in by the shoulders.

Even can’t help but be glad that Isak is almost as tall as him. Instead of burying his face into Even’s chest like the other girls had done, Isak is just short enough to bury his nose into Even’s neck. He feels Isak sigh and relax into the hug, and Even ignores the weird stares that some of their classmates give them. Not when Isak makes his whole world turn upside down just by breathing in the same air. Not when Even feels like he finally has a higher purpose on this planet other than tracking down some random Europan baby.

“You’re cold,” Even murmurs, nuzzling his nose against Isak’s hair.

And it’s true. Obviously Isak isn’t -200°c by any means, but he’s certainly not warm like Eva or Vilde. If anything, he’s comfortably cool.

“Oh,” Isak says, withdrawing from the hug quickly. “Sorry.”

“I liked it,” Even says, allowing Isak to set a respectable distance between them again. After all, Even didn’t want to spook him off too quickly. “I get hot really easily, so.”

“Of course you do,” Isak says, and then his eyes grow wide again. “I mean, uh…”

“No worries,” Even says, giving Isak a soft smile. “I know what you meant.”

“Yeah…” Isak trails off, looking down at his shoes once again, a small smile adorning his face. If Isak got any cuter, Even thinks he might explode.

They’re plunged into an awkward silence, listening to the general chatter of the other _Kosegruppa_ members around them. From the corner of his eye, Even spots Sana, who gives him her signature stare down. If Even were right in front of him, he could imagine her saying something along the lines of, _don’t just stand there, Even! Say something!_

“So, the questions?” Even starts, motioning to the papers in Isak’s hand.

“Right!” Isak startles, handing Even one of the papers with a abrupt motion.

Even takes the paper, making sure to brush his fingers against Isak’s. Although it’s not in Even’s biology to shiver, he can’t help the tremor that goes through his spine as their hands touch.

“What’s your earliest memory?” Isak asks, his voice slightly shaky, but still managing to snap Even out of his lovesick reverie.

His earliest memory? That would have to be-

“I was about three years old,” Even starts, racking his brain carefully as to not let any of his extraterrestrial slip. “And my parents were watching me play outside. I distinctly remember them telling me to not leave their sight. So what did I do?”

“You left their sight?” Isak chuckles, meeting his eyes hesitantly.

“Yup,” Even lets out a chuckle of his own. “I ran straight into the nearest building to explore and it look like ten minutes for them to find me.”

“Of course,” Isak says, a shy smile bright on his face. Even doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything more beautiful. He doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he is staring. Isak, however, lowers his gaze down to the paper in Even’s hands, jerking his chin slightly, as if to say, _your turn._

Even looks down at the paper, and then laughs when he reads the question. “When was your first kiss?”

Isak’s face morphs into something of disgust. “I was fourteen,” he sighs, and Even can’t help but laugh at the adorable grimace on his face. “She put her whole tongue in my mouth. It was disgusting.”

_She._

And yeah okay, maybe Even’s being a total hypocrite, because he will date anyone of any gender. However, Even knows the fragile concept that is human masculinity. Typically, a statement like that is a solid _no homo._ Somehow though, Even can’t help but fall even more for Isak’s shy smiles and not-so-subtle staring.

“Sounds lovely,” Even laughs, unable to keep the slight strain out of his voice. Fortunately, if Isak seems to pick up on it, he doesn’t let it on. “Your turn.”

“What did you learn today?” Isak asks, glancing up from the paper with a pleasantly surprised expression.

“I learned...” Even pauses, thinking for a second. “That I really like hugging people.”

Isak smiles, and the glint in his eyes seems to give off the impression that they share some sort of secret.

“Me too,” Isak murmurs, and honestly, the intense eye contact between them is so lovely. Even could just stay like this forever and be completely content.

“Your turn.”

Even reluctantly breaks the eye contact to look down at his paper again. “What happened in your latest dream?”

Isak swallows almost audibly. “It was a nightmare, actually,” Isak says, crossing his arms against his chest. “It kind of felt like déja-vu, you know? I was four and my little sister had just been born. I was complaining that my parents only paid attention to her, and then Mamma said that she would get rid of my sister.”

“Get rid of her?” Even questions aloud, furrowing his brows. “Like put her up for adoption?”

“No,” Isak says, shaking his head vehemently. “She was going to, you know…”

Even raises his eyebrows. “Jeez,” he says, eyes widening in disbelief. “She didn’t actually?”

“No, no,” Isak negates, uncrossing his arms. It’s not until he does that that Even actually realises how tense Isak was. “My sister is alive and well. Just a really weird dream that I think I’ve had before. Hence the déja-vu.”

“Wow,” Even says, because he knows that he, as an Europan, dreams a lot of crazy shit, but usually nothing that intense. “That sounds terrifying.”

“Yeah, well,” Isak shrugs, shaking his head, almost as if he can simply shake the memory off that easily. “What’s your biggest fear? Wow, really getting in deep with these questions.”

Even smirks, but he cannot let himself laugh fully. He appreciates Isak’s attempt at trying to lighten the mood, however.

“My biggest fear,” Even says, choosing his words deliberately slowly. “Is not being able to express myself.”

Isak nods, but he doesn’t ask Even to elaborate.

“What’s your-“

“Time’s up!” Interrupts Vilde somewhere to their left, snapping Even out of his Isak-only bubble. “I want you to take a close look at your partner, because they’re going to be your _Kosegruppa_ partner for the rest of the term!”

Isak smiles shyly, his eyes never leaving Even’s.

Regardless of Isak’s sexuality, or rather, the sexuality that he likes to portray, this is going to be a good term.


	2. Mission: Falling Head Over Heels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak dreams of blue eyes, and blonde hair. He dreams of the coolness of Even’s body pressed against his own. He dreams about his lips. He dreams about Even’s lips being pressed against his.
> 
> When Isak finally wakes up, he is uncomfortably hard, and uncomfortably confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehhhhh i couldn't help myself  
> enjoy!

Location: Kollektivet, Oslo, Norway, Earth

07/10/2016 kl. 00:03

“Eskild!” Isak shouts through the thin walls of his bedroom.

He’s wearing his boxers again, out of pure necessity. The fact of the matter is that if he wore anymore clothes, he would probably melt into the ground.

“Yes?” Isak heats his roommate call back faintly, with an annoyed groan.

“Turn down the fucking heat!” Isak shouts back, not even giving a damn thats he may have woken Noora and Linn. “Do you want to live in a literal furnace, or?”

“I haven’t even turned it up!” Eskild’s voice shouts back, and Isak lets out an audible groan. “You’re just way too fucking warm!”

Isak rolls his eyes and forces himself up off his bed with a grunt. He pads through the hallway, letting his bare feet slap against the floor noisily. If Eskild has the audacity to turn up the heat, then lie about it, then Isak has the audacity to keep him awake.

He bursts through Eskild’s bedroom door, not even bothering to knock.

And of course, that fucker is bundled up in his blanket. Isak rolls his eyes.

“Eskild, quit fucking around,” Isak whines, flopping down on the empty space on Eskild’s bed. “If this is because I stole your cereal this morning then-”

“You stole my cereal?” Eskild interrupts, turning onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow.

“Uh…” Isak trails off for a second too long.

“My grumpy godchild,” Eskild croons, taking his hands out of his blanket cocoon and reaching out to run his fingers through Isak’s messy curls. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Keep doing that,” Isak mumbles, shoving his face into the wonderfully cool pillow. “I’m so hot that I can barely function.”

“You’re not sweating though,” Eskild points out, dragging his nails so slightly against Isak’s scalp, the way that Isak loves. “You don’t seem to have a fever or anything.”

“Never had a fever,” Isak mutters, and then adds. “I don’t remember the last time I was sick. It’s just way too hot in the apartment.”

“You truly are unique, Isak,” Eskild chuckles, and Isak nods his head, the motioning making a tiny shuffling sound against the pillow.

“Mamma always told me that,” Isak says, because he’s too tired to stop himself.

“Your Mamma seems like a very nice woman,” Eskild comments, and Isak can hear the hesitancy in his voice. “And your sister is adorable.”

The fact that Eskild doesn’t comment on Isak’s father is commendable.

“Lea’s fucking awesome,” Isak agrees, letting out a small sigh. “Mamma’s great, until you get her talking.”

“Isak…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Isak sniffs, although he refuses to acknowledge it. Instead, he lifts his head from the pillow, effectively jostling Eskild’s gentle fingers from his scalp. “I think I’m gonna go to bed now, I’ll just open the window.”

“Okay,” Eskild says slowly, his eyes trailing Isak’s body as he extracts himself from the bed. “But, Isak…”

“Yes, Eskild?” Isak sighs, eyes trained on the floor.

“You know that you can talk to me any time, right?” Eskild asks, and when Isak looks up to meet his eyes, he sees nothing but pure warmth.

“I know, Eskild,” Isak whispers, and he can feel the pitiful smile on his face.

“Okay,” Eskild says, this time a little louder, clapping his hands together. “Go get to bed, Baby Jesus. You need your rest.”

 _“Natta,_ Eskild,” Isak says, turning his body towards the door once more.

 _“God natt,_ Isak.”

 

When Isak finally gets to sleep that night, he has strange dreams. In the first dream, he is standing with his Mamma, holding her hand, and she is telling him about the stars. In the next moment, she is collapsing to the ground, her sobs becoming louder and louder with every breath. In every version of this dream, Isak can never move.

The other dream is much better. Isak dreams of blue eyes, and blonde hair. He dreams of the coolness of Even’s body pressed against his own. He dreams about his lips. He dreams about Even’s lips being pressed against his.

When Isak finally wakes up, he is uncomfortably hard, and uncomfortably confused.

  


Location: Hartvig Nissens Skole, Oslo, Norway, Earth

07/10/2016 kl. 09:26

When Isak enters school the following morning, he’s hoping to run into Even throughout the day. What he isn’t expecting however, is to literally run into him as soon as he opens the door.

Nevertheless, he collides against Even’s chest, letting out a small grunt (squeak) of surprise as he does so.

“Shit!” Even exclaims, bouncing back quickly, and then halting in his movements as soon as he trains his eyes on Isak’s.

“Hei, Even,” Isak murmurs, butterflies running marathons in his stomach. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“All good, Isak!” Even smiles, opening his arms wide and embracing Isak wholly and unabashedly.

Isak isn’t sure where Even gets the confidence to hug people he barely knows, but he’s not complaining at all. Not when Even smells so goddamn good, even better than his dreams.  He allows himself to bury his nose into Even’s neck, breathing in his scent in what he hopes is a subtle way. Isak shudders at the feeling of Even’s large hands rubbing his back soothingly.

Before he knows it, Even is pulling away, and Isak mourns the loss silently.

“So, um…” Even trails, darting his eyes to the floor quickly, his stance suddenly withdrawn and nervous. Isak is honestly a little taken aback at the sudden change in confidence. “I was wondering, uh, since Vilde’s partnered us up for _Kosegruppa,_ that we should probably exchange numbers? You know, for baking and everything.”

“Oh!” Isak exclaims, and he can’t stop the wide smile from taking over his features. “Of course! Here.”

He scrounges his phone out of his pocket and unlocks it quickly, letting out a curse under his breath as the fingerprint reader doesn’t work properly the first time. Eventually, he just resorts to putting in his passcode manually, and opening up his contacts.

“Put your phone number in,” Isak says, handing his phone over to Even, who already has his phone out, ready for Isak to input his name as well.

“You too,” Even replies, and they switch phones. Isak suppresses another shudder as Even’s cool finger brush against his.

Isak takes the phone, focussing down on the screen for a second. And because he’s unoriginal, he saves his contact as _Isak Valtersen,_ inputs his phone number, and then hands the phone back to Even. Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, their fingers don’t brush the second time around.

“Awesome!” says Even, pocketing his phone and grinning widely. “I’ll text you! Y’know, about baking plans.”

“Right,” Isak replies, letting out a loud laugh. “We’ll be the best bun makers- I’m pretty good at baking, if I do say so myself. Like seriously, my buns are so amazing, they’re gonna blow you away.”

Even laughs, loud and deep in his chest. Isak furrows his brows for a second, before internally combusting.

“Oh shit,” Isak moans, throwing his head back and cursing his entire existence. “I was talking about bread, okay?”

“Don’t worry, your buns are safe with me,” Even says, and then winks, rather horribly. Like seriously, he sort of just blinks but like, extra hard.

 _“Herregud,”_ Isak grumbles, unable to stop the nervous giggle contained in his throat. “Thanks for the reassurance, Even.”

“No problem, Isak,” Even chuckles, reaching out to rub Isak’s shoulder. Isak thinks that Even actually _wants_ him to go into cardiac arrest, because the casual affection is making Isak’s heart beat so fast that it’s scary. “I’ll text you later?”

“Text you later,” Isak confirms, flashing Even a small smile. The kind of smile that he would only reserve for someone that he liked. Jonas, as much as he loves his best friend, will never get that kind of smile.

Even flashes another grin, and then stalks off once again. Isak turns to watch Even leave, and honestly, he curses the heaven’s for the fact that even the back of Even is attractive.

Shaking his head, Isak turns back around, and walks through the door. He breathes out a sigh of annoyance as the wonderfully cool air from outside is replaced with the stifled heat of the school hallways. Isak doesn’t even understand how people can live in hot climates, honestly.

 

The first message from Even comes not too soon after Norwegian class starts. The buzzing noise is inconspicuous enough, and Sana doesn’t seem to care. However, when Isak opens the message to reads it and subsequently chokes on his own spit, Sana whips her head around with lightning speed.

**From: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Isak Valtersen is such a boring contact name!_ _I think I’m gonna change your name to Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen. Much more accurate tbh._

 

“Valtersen?” Sana squeaks to his left, but Isak is too busy coughing to fully understand what she’s saying.

“M-my last name,” Isak gasps, clearing his throat in order to try and clear his windpipe. Fortunately, it seems to do the job. “Why?”

“Nothing,” Sana replies a little too quickly, turning her head back to her notebook in front of her. “I just thought I had heard the name before is all.”

“Well, Valtersen isn’t a very common name in Norway,” Isak says, furrowing his brows as his strange biology partner. “Maybe you heard something similar?”

“Maybe,” Sana replies, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular.

Isak rolls his eyes, letting out a snort. “Whatever you say,” he says, and turns back to the incriminating message on his phone.

 

**To: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Tell anyone and I stg you’re dead._

 

Location: Elias’ flat, Oslo, Norway, Earth

07/10/2016 kl. 16:36

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Omg Even ur such a fuckin nerd I can’t believe your fav movie is romeo and juliet._

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_You’ll take that back once you watch the Baz Luhrmann version of it though. It’s truly a masterpiece._

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Still a fuckin nerd lmao._

 

“Dude,” groans Mikael somewhere to Even’s right. “Stop sexting your new boyfriend and pay attention to us.”

Even looks up from the phone that he’s been glued to all day, constantly texting Isak.

Honestly, asking Isak for his phone number was probably the best decision of Even’s life. Even was admittedly taking a risk doing so, because he wasn’t too sure about Isak’s personality quite yet. Beforehand, he knew that Isak was adorably cute and bashful whenever they spoke, and that he had a knack for biology. Now, Even knows his favourite movie (Transformers, what a travesty), his favourite artist (NWA), and how he takes his coffee (black, like his soul).

He’s also learned that Isak is really funny, and that he texts like an actual meme. Unlike certain things on Earth that humans do, such as cheating on significant others or hurting animals, Even actually understands memes. Isak just happens to carry around the same dry, sarcastic sense of humour that Even absolutely adores. It’s actually _interesting,_ unlike every other Europan, who doesn’t even know how to take a joke. Isak likes to keep Even on his toes, he likes to keep him guessing. Even couldn't be any more enamoured with this boy, honestly.

“Wow, you’re really gone for him, aren’t you?” Elias asks to Even’s left. Even looks up from his phone and sighs.

“Guys,” Even says, flopping his head back against the sofa. “He’s so adorable.”

“So you’ve mentioned,” Mikael teases, rolling his eyes in Elias’ direction.

“Okay, but have I mentioned how funny he is?” Even counters, crossing his arms in defiance.

“Twice,” Elias replies, a shit-eating grin on his face. “And that was just at lunch. I’m excluding all the other times.”

“Yeah, well,” Even replies, looking back down at his phone again to check for new messages. “It deserves to be said.”

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_I’m gonna show you all of Luhrmann's films and you’re going to be in awe._

 

“Even, what the fuck!” says a female voice from the front door, causing all three boys to whip their heads in the direction of the noise. The door slams closed, and in walks Sana, a fierce look of determination on her face. She dumps her backpack on the ground and throws her hands in the hair.

“I swear to Allah, Even,” she cries, beginning to pace back and forth nervously. “You are the dumbest motherfucker I have ever met.”

“What did I do?” Even exclaims, phone momentarily forgotten.

“You’re telling me, that you managed to get Isak’s phone number, get his last name, and then not even think to tell me?” Sana demands, whipping her gaze around back to focus on Even once more.

“His last name?” Elias questions timidly, and Even admires his bravery.

“His last name is Valtersen!” Sana says, clapping her hands together as if that was all the answers to the multitude of Even’s questions.

“As in Marianne Valtersen?” Mikael asks, leaning forward, any trace of a smile vanishing from his face.

“As in Marianne Valtersen’s son,” Sana replies, and Even scoffs. “It would make sense. That baby would be in second year now, if they were pushed through the education system accordingly.”

“Okay, but Sana,” Even argues, lifting one of his knees up to his chest. “There are so many second-years in Norway, and I’m sure a ton of them have the same last name. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“I asked Isak,” Sana says matter-of-factly, crossing her arms to her chest. “He said that Valtersen isn’t a very common name in Norway. And you’re right, Even, it could very well be nothing, but it’s worth checking out. We need to get a move on if we ever want to find this baby. Isak may be our key.”

Even sighs, resting his chin on his knee. “I just feel bad, you know,” he says, giving Sana what he hopes is a convincingly pleading look. “What if it turns out that you’re right, and that Isak is the baby. What are we supposed to do then? Rip him from his home, take him to an entirely new planet, and expect him to not put up a fight?”

“We’ll just have to convince him,” Sana says firmly, and Even knows it’s almost no use in arguing with her. “If it is Isak, he’ll come around eventually. He’ll thrive so much more on Europa, you know that.”

“I guess,” Even says, but he doesn’t agree with her one bit. Of course, Even isn’t the expert of what’s best for Isak, but it certainly wasn’t this. Especially since they’d have to do this behind Isak’s back.

“Find out everything you can about his home life,” Sana dictates, and Mikael and Elias perk up at the sound of the orders being given. “Mikael, Elias, try to bond with his friends and get into his friend group. Even, keep talking to him and invite him over for _Kosegruppa_ stuff.”

“What about you?” Even asks, lifting his head back up from his knee.

“When have you ever doubted my abilities?” Sana asks, smirking in the terrifying way that she normally does. “Trust me, I’ll get to know him.”

With that, she bends down to grab her backpack, and walks into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Well, shit,” Elias says, blowing out a long breath. Mikael lets out a non-commital grunt of agreement.

“I’m gonna head back to my place,” Even says, standing up from the sofa with a heavy sigh. “I guess I have some homework to do.”

“Good luck, dude,” Mikael says, lifting up his hand to give Even a fist-bump.

“I’ll need it,” Even replies as he gives the same gesture to Elias.

It’s only when he walks out of Elias’ flat that he remembers to check his phone.

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Okay, nerd. I can’t wait :)_

 

Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown

The woman is lying on the ground. Her hand, which is clenched in a tight fist, is glued to her chest.

She appears human. She has pale white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes. She is not moving.

In the distance there is screaming, the voice unmistakably male, however, his tongue is not recognizable.

The roaring sound in his ears is absolutely deafening. He cries, and the unfamiliar arms tighten around him. He cries even more.

As the ground becomes further and further from his field of vision, one thing is certainly obvious. The woman lying on the ground is dead.

 

Location: Kollektivet, Norway, Earth

08/10/2016 kl. 03:26

Isak awakens with a gasp.

His rooms is boiling hot, and he wrenches off the covers faster than he ever thought he could move.

The air is stifling, cramped, and Isak struggles to catch his breath.

Out of all the nightmares he’d ever had, this was by far the most vivid. Usually, the nightmares would be some sort of memory from his fucked up childhood. Something that his mother did, like the time she’d tried to strangle baby Lea in her crib, before being pulled away by his dad. This, however, was completely new.

The woman in the dream was unlike anyone Isak had ever seen before. She was familiar, in a strange way, in that she was just resting of the tip of Isak’s tongue, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t place her. He had no name for the dead, empty face.

The strange noises that he’d heard, overwhelming and powerful in his sensitive ears, were also familiar. Isak would like to think that it was some sort of helicopter, but he’d never actually _been_ on a helicopter before, so that was out of the equation.

In a small burst of strength, he wrenches himself from his bad, and runs to the window. He undoes the latches, letting out a sigh of relief as the cool night air begins to flow through his bedroom.

Isak flops back down on his bed, and heaves a sigh of relief as his body finally begins to cool down. He shoves the duvet completely off the mattress, cursing as he does so. That thing is way too damn hot.

Even with the cool air filtering through his bedroom, Isak is unable to sleep.

Maybe it’s the strange, nonsensical dream. Maybe it’s the fact that Isak is a raging insomniac. Maybe, perhaps more innocently, it’s because of the extremely attractive third-year that he keeps texting.

Unable to help himself, Isak throws his arm out, slapping his hand on his bedside table. With a slight wince and a quick burst of pain radiating up his arm, he is able to get ahold of his phone.

 

**To: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Have u ever had one of those dreams where u dont know what the hell is going on but you think that you’re on like, a different planet or something?_

 

Isak hits send, and then curses once more. Even isn’t even going to be awake, and Isak will make a total fool out of himself. Just like the temperature in his room, Isak is _so chill._

 

**From: Even the Bun Keeper**

_What are you even doing awake right now? And yes, the feeling of being on a different planet is all too familiar to me._

 

Isak smiles at the text, and his heart beats irrationally.

 

**To: Even the Bun Keeper**

_What are u doing awake??? Are you some sort of extraterrestrial or something?_

 

**From: Even the Bun Keeper**

_I am not an extraterrestrial. Why would you think that?_

 

**To: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Lmao chill man, im just kidding. (u really are an extraterrestrial tho)_

 

**From: Even the Bun Keeper**

_You’re something special, Isak Valtersen._

 

**To: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Is that a good thing or a bad thing?_

 

**From: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Definitely a good thing._

 

Location: Even’s flat

08/10/2016 kl. 13:42

Even has officially fallen.

Of course, the term “falling head over heels”, is a complete Earth expression. Falling in love with someone is something that the Europan people completely disapprove of. In Europa, parents only reproduce for the sake of reproduction. They don’t take their mates out for movies and a dinner.

That’s exactly what Even would like to do; take Isak out on a date.

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_So how would you feel about a Baz Luhrmann marathon?_

 

Even taps his thumbs anxiously on his screen. Of course, he couldn’t just wait until the next _Kosegruppa_ meeting to talk to Isak. He had to do it now. On the bright side, Sana couldn’t tell him off for not doing his job.

When his phone pings, Even moves at super-Europan speed to unlock it.

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Idk ive never seen any of his movies_

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Thank you, smartass. This is why I’m going to introduce you to his movies. Tonight, my place?_

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Your parents are okay with that?_

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_I live alone, so no one will be bothered if we stay up late tonight._

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Is this some sort of netflix and chill shit? That’s sick, Næsheim._

 

Even snorts, rolling his eyes. He’s heard of the expression before, and he knows exactly what it means. Netflix, of course, being the movie streaming website. Chill, of course, meaning sex.

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Not unless you want it to be ;)_

_No but seriously, I just want to get to know my Kosegruppa partner a little better. And I’d like to spend my company with someone who isn’t Elias or Mikael haha._

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_I guess I could tell my roomies that I’m staying over at a friends… you got yourself a deal_

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_It’s a date then! How’s 20:00 sound?_

 

Immediately after sending it, Even visibly cringes. To his knowledge, Isak is straight. Of course he wouldn’t agree to going on a date with Even. He shields his eyes from his phone screen, tucking his face into the crook of his elbow.

As the ping of his phone goes off again, Even can’t stop himself from looking.

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Sounds good! Want me to bring any snacks?_

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_I thought we were supposed to make our own food, Mr. Kosegruppa partner._

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Okay true… I’ll just bring me and my amazing buns then_

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Yes, do that. I’ll text you my address later._

 

**From: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Okay, ill see you later :)_

 

**To: Isak “amazing buns” Valtersen**

_Looking forward to it :)_

 

Location: Even’s flat

08/10/2016 kl. 19:57

Isak knows that he’s a little early to Even’s place, but he just can’t help it.

The fact of the matter is that there have been butterflies in his stomach that have been fluttering around maniacally the moment that he laid his eyes upon Even Bech Næsheim. The other fact of the matter is that he can’t get these butterflies to calm down, nor does he want to.

He doesn’t want his life to calm down, because Even is the textbook definition of an enigma. He has this sort of air surrounding him, where he draws people in, and yet, no one really knows anything about him. Isak knows that Even is a third year student who just transferred to Nissen with his best friends. Isak knows that his favourite director is Baz Luhrmann, and that he loves romantic tragedies.

What he doesn’t know, is just about everything else. He doesn’t know what school he went to before Nissen, where he was born, where his parents are.

It doesn’t help that he’s unbelievably gorgeous.

It also doesn’t help that he has explicitly invited Isak over, _for a date,_ no less.

Isak doesn’t know is he gives off “I’m buried in the closet” vibes, but either way, he admires Even’s confidence for asking in the first place.

 

With a gust of courage that Isak didn’t even know he had, he opens his phone once more.

 

**To: Even the Bun Keeper**

_Hey im here could you buzz me up?_

 

Without a response, almost instantly, the door buzzes and Isak opens it.

He walks up the stairs to the third floor, but he feels like he’s floating on a cloud of nerves.

Okay, no big deal. Except it is.

At the end of the hall, Even is standing in his open doorway.

“Hi, Isak!” Even exclaims, opening his arms wide for a hug.

Isak isn’t going to lie, Even looks _good._

His hair isn’t slicked back like it normally is, instead, it lies soft and delicate against his forehead. He’s wearing a Biggie Smalls t-shirt, which Isak thoroughly appreciates, and joggers that cut off slightly too high at the ankles. He looks so wonderfully casual, yet so gorgeous, that it physically pains Isak to look away. Even if it means that he has to tear away his gaze in order to hug Even.

Nevertheless, he hugs Even, wrapping his arms around his waist and breathing in Even’s scent.

He is so wonderfully cool, which is a nice distraction from the constant state of uncomfortable warmth that Isak finds himself in.

“Hi,” Isak breathes, the words muffled slightly due to the fact that his nose is slightly squished into the crook of Even’s neck. “How are you?”

“I’m really good,” Even murmurs back, his long arms tightening around Isak’s shoulders. “How are you?”

Isak lets out a satisfied grunt as an answer.

Here’s the funny thing about high school; Isak’s best friend in the whole world is there, and yet, he has never felt 100% comfortable there. However, in this moment, Isak feels 100% comfortable in Even’s arms. He feels comfortable sheltered in Even’s cold arms in a way that hugs normally are not. It feels like coming home after a long day.

He doesn’t even realise that he’s practically nuzzling against Even’s neck until he feels Even’s chuckle low in his throat.

Isak blinks his eyes open, and pulls back quickly.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, casting his gaze on the ground as to avoid eye-contact.

“It’s okay,” Even replies, his hand lightly caressing Isak’s jaw in order to bring his head up.

Isak follows along with Even’s coaxing hand, allowing himself, for just a second, to stop thinking. Besides, it’s really easy to stop thinking when looking into eyes that blue.

Even is saying something, but Isak allows himself to ignore it, and instead, he takes in the man in front of him.

Not many people would describe a man as beautiful, straight or gay. However, Isak can say with certainty that Even is the most beautiful person that he’s ever laid his eyes upon.

“Isak?”

The calling of his name brings him out of his trance. Isak shakes his head, intending to focus his thoughts again. He kind of regrets it, because the way that Even is _looking_ at him right now.

Even’s lips are swollen, and he’s biting them in possibly the most attractive way right now. His pupils are blown wide, his breaths high in his chest. In short; he’s a fucking masterpiece.

“Sorry,” Isak says again distractedly. He can’t help it, not when Even looks so amazing. He imagines that he is somewhat of a similar state, especially when the involuntary pang of arousal shoots through his groin.

Even turns around, probably expecting Isak to follow him. Isak, however, can’t stop his gaze from moving down to Even’s ass.

“Come inside, don’t be shy!” Even says, turning over his shoulder to look at Isak.

“I’d love to,” Isak agrees hoarsely, his eyes training back down to scan over Even’s body. He bites his own lip hard, and subsequently starts choking on his own tongue when he’s broken out of his own stupor. “Uh, I mean…”

“Yeah,” Even murmurs quietly, turning back around abruptly. “Follow me!”

Isak follows Even into the apartment, releasing the breath that he wasn’t he aware he was holding. He toes his shoes off, pretending to be fumbling with them for just a second longer, in order to preserve his dignity once again.

“You can put your bag down on the sofa!” Even calls out as he pads into what Isak assumes is the living room. Isak readjusts his snapback for a second, takes a deep breath, and follows the sound of Even’s voice.

“So, I’ve downloaded all of his movies on my laptop,” Even says, and he’s rummaging around, fluffing up the pillows on the sofa and smoothing out the blankets that he must’ve laid out. “I only just moved here, so I don’t really have a TV or anything.”

“Uh, that’s okay,” Isak murmurs, placing his bag down onto the smaller couch opposite the one that Even’s rummaging about on. “I don’t have a TV at my place either.”

“Your parents don’t have a TV?” Even asks, stopping for a second and furrowing his brows.

“I live with roommates,” Isak says slowly, because he could've sworn that he’s already told Even.

“Right, right,” Even says, shaking his head quickly. He sits down on the sofa and pats the spot next to him, motioning for Isak to sit down next to him. Isak sits, putting a respectable amount of distance between them. “Why don’t you live with your parents?”

“Well, technically,” Isak retorts only semi-sarcastically, as it’s been his coping mechanism for years now. “I’ve never lived with my parents.”

“You never lived with your parents?” Even repeats, draping his arm around the back of the sofa casually, however, his expression is anything but casual.

“Well, I’m adopted, so,” Isak sniffs, scratching his nose with his sleeve-covered fist. “I’ve never met my birth parents.”

“Oh,” Even nods for a second, and Isak can’t help but take this moment to sigh in relief as the strange tension between them fades away slightly. “I’m sorry.”

Isak giggles slightly. “No need to be sorry,” he says, resting his head onto the back of the sofa. If he were to move just a bit upwards, he would be tucked underneath Even’s outstretched arm. “I like my roommates.”

It’s true. Out of all the familial things that Isak was messed up about, being adopted wasn’t one of them. From what he had been told, his real mother had died during childbirth, and the father had been long gone by that point. Isak didn’t really care when he was growing up, because his adoptive parents treated him like one of their own anyways. That was, of course, until Lea was born.

“I brought some blankets,” Even says, interrupting Isak from his internal monologue. “Just in case you get cold. I have weird habit of always keeping the flat cold.”

Isak grins sheepishly. “I don’t mind the cold,” he says, playing with his fingers nervously in his lap, in order to stop himself from reaching out and touching Even somehow.

“Well, then good,” Even muses, a small, adorable smile on his face. Isak likes to think that he would be able to see Even’s twinkling from space. “Let’s get started then.”

Even reaches onto the coffee table to grab his laptop, opening it and inputting this password at lightning speed.

“Okay,” says Even, opening his documents, and then turning his attention fully on Isak. “So we have two options, Romeo + Juliet or Moulin Rouge?”

“Uh…” Isak ponders for a second. From what he knows, Moulin Rouge is a musical, which doesn’t exactly scream _I’m a chill dude._ “Romeo + Juliet.”

“Good choice,” Even hums, and he clicks on the file. “I knew you were a romantic at heart.”

“You wish,” Isak snorts.

 

Here’s the thing; Isak spent all of today imagining how this could go. He and Even would be watching the movie, and then Even would slowly put his arm around Isak, just like in the movies. Eventually, Isak would take notice, and then he’d burrow his nose into Even’s cool chest and

In real life, it’s awkward. Even’s laptop is sitting on the coffee table in front of them, and they’re sitting with a clear space in between them. Isak isn’t even comfortable either, and neither is Even, if the squirming every two seconds is anything to go by. That’s the thing though, Isak would kill to be in Even’s arms right now. However, he can’t just forget about the real world. In the real world, Isak Valtersen is a slightly grumpy, albeit _straight_ teenage boy. In his head, however, Isak never feels like he belongs, his family life is fucked up, and he’s always _so fucking hot._ Oh yeah, and he’s also like, really gay.

Isak allows the strange Shakespearean and the soft sofa to lull him into a sort of trance; or a daydream. In this dream, Isak Valtersen is out and comfortable with his sexuality, and he is very excited because the cutest boy in school has asked him on a movie date. Real-Isak is tucked under Even’s arm, and they giggle together at the strange old English and Hawaiian shirts on the laptop screen. They forget about the real world, and just allow themselves to be with each other. Isak longs to be like this.

Honestly, he doesn’t even know what’s holding him back. He’s pretty sure that Jonas isn’t homophobic, nor are the two guys who they normally smoke up with, Mahdi and Magnus. He’s pretty sure that he doesn’t give a shit about his parents. They weren’t there for Isak when he needed them the most. They don’t matter, and they don’t need to know about his personal life, anyways. So that leaves no one. No one but himself.

“What’s up?” Even’s voice shocks him out of his daydream.

“Huh?” Isak blurts loudly, peeling his eyes off the screen, to meet Even’s _ohsoblue_ irises.

“Nothing,” Even says, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “You just seem a million miles away is all. Is the movie not good?”

“No!” Isak protests, perhaps a little too quickly, because Even’s brows furrow in confusion. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m a little tired is all.”

“Oh,” Even nods for a second, and then reaches over to pause the movie. Isak can’t help but shudder out a sigh as Even’s arm brushes lightly across his torso. “Did you want to stop watching?”

“No, no,” Isak rushes, finally able to breathe again as Even puts his arm back in his lap. “Keep going.”

“Okay, well,” Even pauses for a second, biting his lip apprehensively. “I’m getting uncomfortable, aren’t you?”

“I guess?” Isak hesitates, and he can’t help himself from staring at Even’s bottom lip in between his teeth.

“I’m just saying,” Even continues, leaning back against the sofa, unlatching his lip from his teeth. “I’m not against cuddling if you aren’t”

This is his chance. This is what he’s been waiting for. Despite the fact that he’s in the closet, and very terrified, he dives in headfirst.

“Okay,” he says, shrugging his shoulders, trying to give off an air of casualty. “But I’ll warn you, I get hot really easily.”

“I’m sure you do,” Even blurts, and then closes his eyes in what is most likely embarrassment. “I mean, uh…”

Isak chuckles, feeling his chest deflate at the knowledge that Even isn’t as slick as he appears to be.

“Just come here!” Even exclaims, rolling his eyes. He scoots back against the arm of the sofa and spreads his legs, presumably to invite Isak between them. Oh boy, what an invitation that is.

Isak scoots over slowly, finding himself unable to look Even in the eyes fully. However, he can’t break the feeling that Even _is_ looking at him, watching his every movement. With anyone else, Isak would feel uncomfortable. With Even, he just feels those wonderful butterflies in his stomach.

Since Isak isn’t able to scoot forever, he eventually ends up in between Even’s legs. Isak takes a deep breath, and then decides, _fuck it,_ and rests himself upon Even’s chest. Even wraps his arms around Isak’s own chest, and then _fuck,_ they’re really cuddling. Isak can’t help but smile, because he can feel the rise and fall of Even’s breaths against his back, his heartbeat steady and soothing. As wonderful as this is, as Even’s scent is slowly seeping into his vicinity, Isak can’t help but feel that something is slightly off. And then, _oh yeah._

“Uh, Even?” Isak asks, turning his body slightly to the right, so that Even can actually see Isak speaking. “The movie?”

“Oh!” Even exclaims, and he trails his fingers up from where they were resting on Isak’s diaphragm, and up to Isak’s shoulders. “I’ll just, uh…”

There’s a bout of awkward shuffling, in which Isak is wrenched from his very comfortable position, and forced to sit up, so that Even can reach over and grab his laptop again. Luckily, however, Even has freakishly long arms, and so it doesn’t take him that long to grab it.

They settle back into place, and Isak takes the liberty of placing the laptop on his lap.

“Can you see like this?” Isak asks, after pressing play again and leaning back into Even’s chest once more. He trains his eyes up to Even, tilting his chin as he does so.

What he wasn’t expecting, however, was for Even to be looking down right at him. As their eyes meet once more, Isak feels his stomach drop.

“Yeah,” Even murmurs, bringing his hand up slowly, up Isak’s torso, to his neck, and then finally, tentatively, to his jaw. If Isak wasn’t so completely hypersensitive to every single touch, the brush of Even’s fingers on his jaw would feel so light that it would practically be unnoticeable.

Even leans in a little bit, and Isak turns his body a little bit, laptop be damned. And he isn’t sure who kisses who, but suddenly, Even’s lips are one his own and Isak can’t breathe.

Or rather, he could breathe, but he’d be scared that he’d wake up from this wonderful dream.

Even’s grip on his jaw tightens ever so slightly, and he leans his head down even further, which allows him to capture Isak’s top lip between his own. Isak shudders, and kisses back, slowly, oh so slowly.

That’s just what it is; it’s slow, breathtaking, and so _fucking_ passionate. Isak’s head is reeling, and his world as he knows it shifts on its axis. Nothing exists right now, it’s just him and Even, and their lips joined together. Nothing feels wrong about this. Nothing could _ever_ be wrong about this.

Finally, Isak turns even more into Even’s arms, and grips his shirt in a tight fist. He knows that he’s letting out panted breaths against Even’s lips, but he doesn’t care. Not when Even is kissing him as if they’re about to die. Not even when he hears the dull _thud_ of the laptop sliding off of Isak’s lap and onto the floor.

Even, however, breaks apart from the kiss to let out a giggle. Isak chases his lips, and places a small peck on the corner of his mouth, just because he simply can’t help himself.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the first day I saw you,” Even murmurs, his fingers slowly sliding into Isak’s curls.

Isak smiles slowly, and he shakes his head in awe. “I have too,” he replies, and he lifts his head up again, tilting his chin.

Even gets the hint as his small smile turns into a grin. His fingers tighten in Isak’s hair, and then he’s pulling Isak into another kiss.

The movie, which has not stopped playing in the background, shows Romeo and Juliet under the water, and they’re kissing too.

 

Location: Even’s flat, Oslo, Norway

09/10/2016 kl. 09:48

Isak is so fucking adorable when he sleeps.

Even can’t help but stare at the wonder that is sleeping on his chest. He can’t help it, because he can’t believe it.

He can’t believe that he’d kissed Isak. He can’t believe that Isak had kissed back.

 

_“You’re so beautiful,” Even murmurs, stroking his fingers slowly across Isak’s jawline._

_Isak’s thighs are straddling his, and Even feels them clench. He can also feel the bulge in Isak’s jeans, which is totally okay, because Even is in a very similar state. They’re going slow however, taking their time for a couple reasons. Firstly, because Even can tell that Isak is new to this, if his slightly shaky hands and shy glances are anything to go by. Secondly, because Even doesn’t want to rush anything. Even wants to experience everything with Isak, and now that they’re here together, they can take their time. Even will wait as long as he needs, so long as Isak is by his side._

_“You’re ethereal,” Isak whispers, leaning in and connecting their lips softly. “Like seriously, I’m convinced that you’re out of this world.”_

_Even chuckles, allowing the noise to vibrate against their mouths._

_“I think that’s you, my dear,” Even replies against Isak’s cutely insistent kisses._

_In response, Isak presses himself closer, and Even allows himself to fall even harder._

 

He can’t believe just how soft, and sweet, and pliant Isak had been. How he’d just allowed Even to be intimate with him, not necessarily even in a sexual way. Admittedly, they hadn’t even gone past making out and cuddling last night. Even didn’t mind one bit, not when it meant that he’d get to witness this new side of Isak.

Even has a feeling that he’s one of the only people that Isak has exposed himself to like this.

 

_“Even, wait,” Isak pants out, placing his hand on Even’s chest lightly and separating their lips. “I’m not… out, or anything.”_

_“Okay,” Even replies simply, and he places his own hand on top of Isak’s, rubbing his thumb against the soft skin soothingly. “We do this at your pace, okay?”_

_Even means it. Although he’s always been a little puzzled at how seriously and strangely humans treat their sexuality, he can’t help but feel a pang of empathy run through him. He knows what it’s like to feel ostracized by his own people._

_“Okay,” Isak whispers, and when he meets Even’s eyes, Even promptly melts._

_“I just wanna be with you,” Even whispers back, and he leans in once more, gently leaning his forehead against Isak’s. “Would that be okay?”_

_“That’s more than okay.”_

 

When Isak stirs, furrowing his brows in his sleepy stupor, Even can’t help but coo at the sight. Isak finally opens his eyes, blinking blearily around the room, and then promptly smiles. He burrows his face into Even’s chest a little more, nuzzling into the fabric of Even’s t-shirt.

“Good morning,” Isak mumbles sleepily, letting out a small sigh of content.

“Morning,” Even replies, his own voice still a little scratchy from disuse. “Sleep well?”

 _“Yes,”_ Isak moans, his blonde curls tickling Even’s jaw slightly. “I haven’t slept so well in such a long time.”

“No weird dreams?” Even teases, rubbing his fingers gently up and down Isak’s back.

“No weird dreams,” Isak confirms, and he peppers the smallest of kisses along Even’s neck. Normally, anyone kissing his neck would just turn Even on. Now, however, Even just feels a rush of gratitude and happiness run through him. He doesn’t think he’s ever met someone quite like Isak before.

“You’re really something, you know that?” Even murmurs, moving his fingers from Isak’s back up to his curls, scratching his scalp slightly.

“Something?’ Isak repeats, attempting to sound affronted, however, seemingly unable to help the small purrs coming from his throat.

“Something,” Even confirms, chuckling slightly. “Like, I don’t think I’ve ever pined for someone as much as you.”

“Me neither,” Isak agrees, his voice suddenly small. “Well, there was the time that I had a crush on my best friend, but I’m past that.”

“You too?” Even sighs, cursing himself for allowing himself to think back to his time spent crushing on Mikael.

At this, Isak lifts his head slightly, and faces Even properly for the first time this morning.

“At least we found each other,” Isak murmurs, and he trails his fingers across Even’s cheek ever so gently.

“It was worth the wait,” Even replies, his voice hoarse once more.

Isak smiles that small, secret smile of his, and leans in.

Even meets Isak in the middle, allowing their lips to meet slowly and clumsily. It’s a kiss that’s all lips, unlike the passionate ones from last night. Although this kiss may not be as passionate, it means so much more to Even, because it means that he feels like this, even without the lust.

When they separate, it’s slow, like molasses. Isak presses the slowest of pecks against Even’s lips, and then he pulls away, his eyelashes fluttering against Even’s cheek.

“Definitely worth the wait,” Even murmurs, and Isak closes his eyes fully, breathing him in.

Even takes in the cool and comforting scent that envelopes him. He’d like to think that he could stay here forever with Isak, everything else be damned.

Because honestly, he’s never realised the gaping hole that was in his chest even existed until he met Isak. Until he realised just how attraction to someone else could be. Forgetting about the fact that Isak is a different species, or about the fact that Even is a on slightly time-sensitive mission.

If Isak stays with him, then none of the rest matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to come scream at me on tumblr!  
> thank you for reading <3


	3. Mission: Exist and Be Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I met you, and suddenly, those two universes merged together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who encouraged me to post this when I was feeling Not So Great®  
> I love you all.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this fic <3

Location: Valtersen Household

29/11/2005 kl. 06:03

“Isak, love,” whispers a startled Marianne Valtersen. “Wake up!”

Her young Isak stirs sleepily in his bed. His blonde curls are adorably ruffled, and the covers are hastily thrown to the foot of the bed. Marianne takes a second to take in her son, her light. 

“Mamma?” Isak mumbles, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. “What is it?”

Marianne shakes her head in attempts to clear it. She closes her eyes. In the darkness, the devil incarnate that is her youngest daughter flashes for a split second. When she opens her eyes back up, she is renewed again. 

“We must act quickly,” Marianne says, careful to keep her voice low in order to not wake her sleeping husband in the room next door. “We need to do this now.”

“Do what?” Isak asks, blinking his bright green eyes up at her. He seems more awake now, and the tired expression has now morphed into one of confusion.

“We must get rid of her,” she replies, and Isak shoots up into a sitting position.

“Mamma?” he whimpers, crossing his arms around his small body. “You’re scaring me.”

“You need not be afraid, Isak,” Marianne reassures as she stands up, grabbing Isak’s wrist gently in order to guide him off his bed. “We have the protection of the Lord with us at all times. _ She  _ cannot control us.”

“I don’t understand,” Isak protests, but he gets up off the bed anyways. “What are we going to do?”

“We are going to banish her,” Marianne replies, sinking down to her knees in order to look Isak in the eyes. He looks terrified. “For once and for all. Then we can be a proper family again.”

“Mamma, what’s wrong with Lea?” Isak whispers, and Marianne is too focused in order to see the tears swimming in his beautiful green eyes.

“Lea was dead the moment she was born,” says Marianne, her gaze now cold and unmoving. She stands back up to her full height again. “Whatever possessed her body now is some sort of malevolent demon.”

“What does malevolent mean?” Isak asks, and he trails his tiny little feet after Marianne. She loves that she can feel him following her at her heels.

“My smart boy,” Marianne croons, reaching behind her to ruffle Isak’s hair briefly. “It means that she is evil.”

When the pair enter Lea Valtersen’s room, the world slows down.

Young Isak stands at the doorway and stares, as his mother crouches down upon his sister’s cot and begins to strangle her own daughter.

Isak’s mouth is open in a silent scream. Except, perhaps it isn’t silent, because in the next moment, he is being shoved roughly to side by his father. 

Terje enters the room in a panic, and in the next moment, he is grabbing Marianne by the shoulders and throwing her to the ground.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Marianne!?” he shouts, and Marianne Valtersen begins to scream.

Lea is crying loudly, and an extremely distressed Terje picks her up and begins to soothe her. Marianne remains on the floor, screaming unintelligibly.

Her cries of sin and God and righteousness and the Devil and demons becomes louder and louder, until it is merely static in Isak’s ears, and-

 

Location: Kollektivet, Oslo, Norway

10/10/2016 kl. 06:03

“ISAK, WAKE UP,” shouts a familiar male voice in Isak’s ear, and Isak wrenches himself awake.

Isak is vaguely aware that he is enveloped in someone’s arms. He is aware that there is extra weight on his bed, which means that there are other people probably sitting on top of it.

He’s aware of all these things, and yet, he can’t stop himself from gasping for air, from crying out, because this has been the worst nightmare yet.

The thing is, Isak has a vague recollection of this happening. He knows that his mother tried to hurt his sister, under the delusion that Lea was somehow possessed by a demon. Isak also knows that his mother never tried anything like that again, and instead, was doped up on antipsychotics.

However, this nightmare was just too real. It was too real, and too traumatising, and now Isak can’t breathe.

“Hey, hey,” the deep voice soothes again, and Isak can vaguely recognize that their running their arms soothingly down his shoulders. “Take deep breaths, you’re okay. ”

“Fuck,” Isak sobs out incoherently, burying his face in the warm shoulder in front of him. He attempts to breathe through his nose, in attempts to stifle the long, heavy gasps of air that’s he’s been taking.

It seems to be working a little bit, because Isak is slowly, but surely able to breathe air back into his lungs again.

“That’s it,” the voices murmurs, and Isak can now identify it as Eskild. “It was just a nightmare, it can’t hurt you anymore, you’re okay.”

Isak allows himself to be lulled by the soft spoken words in his ear. He melts into the warm embrace, and for once in his life, he’s glad for the heat. It serves as a wonderful distraction, and helps ground him to reality.

“Sorry,” Isak whispers, suddenly aware that his voice is very, very hoarse. He clears his throat, and then winces at the pain.

“No apologizing, Isak,” Eskild says soothingly, his words melting like butter. “It’s okay, as long as you’re okay.”

“What happened?” Isak mumbles, and yup, he’s lost his voice.

“We’re not really sure,” Eskild replies, running his hand soothingly up and down Isak’s back. Isak feels like a pound of bricks against Eskild’s shoulder, and so he’s glad for the support. “I woke up to you screaming, and it took a couple minutes for you to wake up.”

“I thought someone was being murdered,” pipes in Linn’s voice somewhere to Isak’s left. For a second, he’d forgotten that there was another person sitting on his bed.

Isak can practically feel the glare that Eskild sends her as she says this, but Isak is grateful nonetheless. 

“So that’s why I can’t talk?” Isak wonders aloud, wincing at the scratchiness in his throat.

“Yeah, that’s why,” Eskild replies softly, and Isak sighs audibly as hands come up and run through his hair, just like Even had done no longer than twelve hours ago. 

“Hey, Isak,” Eskild hesitates, stiffening slightly. “You know that if there’s anything going on, you can always talk to us, right?”

“There’s nothing going on,” Isak replies quickly, allowing his voice to go to a loud whisper, in order to soothe his throat a little bit. “It was just a nightmare, and I don’t even remember it. Happens all the time.”

“Nightmares happen to anyone,” Eskild agrees, and Isak already dreads where this conversation is going. “But it’s pretty rare that people start screaming during their nightmare and wake up the entire flatshare.”

“Sorry,” Isak whispers lowly, feeling his whole body flush with shame.

“Hey,” Eskild says sharply, and he nudges Isak’s head, until Isak gets the hint and looks Eskild in the eyes for the first time since waking up. “No apologies, it’s totally okay. I just want you to know that you’re not alone, okay?”

“I know, Eskild,” Isak replies, casting his glance down to his fingers in his lap.

“I mean it,” Eskild continues, grabbing gently underneath Isak’s chin, and forcing their eyes to meet. “Whatever this is, you don’t have to go through it alone, okay? You don’t have to talk to me, but at least talk to someone.”

“Okay,” Isak agrees, because he can’t say no to Eskild. Not when Eskild has helped him out so much in the past.

“Good,” Eskild decides, letting go of Isak’s chin, and gently slapping his hands on his thighs. “Linn, why don’t you go back to bed, my dearest. Get some rest.”

“Okay,” Linn concedes, hesitating for a moment, before seemingly making up her mind. She reaches out and gently squeezes Isak’s hand with her own. “Feel better, Isak.”

She smiles gently at him, and Isak feels his heart swell.

“Thank you, Linn,” Isak murmurs, squeezing her hand back for a brief moment, and then she pulls back. “Goodnight.”

Linn shuffles out of the room quietly, and then Isak is plunged into silence again. He knows that Eskild’s concerned eyes haven’t left him.

“Isak,” Eskild continues, once Linn is long gone. “I know that you’ve had some hard times at home, but uh, I didn’t know it was this bad.”

Isak furrows his brows in confusion, snapping his head up to meet Eskild’s gaze.

“What do you mean?” he asks, genuinely perplexed.

“It’s just, uh,” Eskild pauses for a second, his eyes shining with what appears to be guilt. “You don’t remember what you were screaming, do you?”

“No.”

“You were saying,  _ ‘Mamma, don’t hurt her!’”  _ Eskild replies, and Isak freezes.  _ “‘ Don’t kill her.’” _

 

Location: Cafeteria, Hartvig Nissens Skole

13/10/2016 kl. 11:42

 

**From: Isak Valtersen <3**

_ Hey bby! Hope youve had a good day so far <3 _

_ Any chance youre available to go grab some kebabs for lunch? _

 

“Dude!” Mikael snaps his fingers in front of Even’s face, and Even snaps back into reality. “You have the stupidest grin on your face, what’s up?”

“Just got a text from Isak is all,” Even replies, and he has to bite his lip from saying more. The thing is, Even doesn’t mind dating someone who is in the closet. The only downside, was that they’d both agreed to not tell anyone quite yet. Even decides that he doesn’t have much of a problem with this, because he likes the idea of Isak coming out on his own terms more.

“Ojjjjjj!” Elias croons, spraying Even’s food in front of him with the french fries that were in his mouth. Elias swallows hastily, throwing Even a sheepish grin. Even rolls his eyes.

“Okay, for real though,” Mikael says, slapping his hands on the table in order to get both boy’s attention. “What’s going on with Isak?”

“Not much,” Even says, shrugging his shoulders in what he hopes is a nonchalant way. However, Europan’s are terrible liars by nature, and so he isn’t really surprised when both Mikael and Elias roll their eyes at him.

“Okay, bullshit!” Elias exclaims, and Mikael nods in agreement. “You literally look like a lovesick fool everytime Isak’s name is even mentioned. As far as you know, he’s not even into guys.”

“I think he is,” Even lies, suppressing a laugh. Isak is, in Isak’s own words,  _ really fucking gay. _

“You know what,” Mikael exclaims, slapping his hands on the table once more. Except this time, he stands up. “I’m tired of this. We’re gonna find out for ourselves.”

“What?” Even asks sharply, as Mikael turns on his heels, and power-marches through the cafeteria,  _ straight to where Isak and Jonas are sitting. _

Elias shrugs at him, sending him a shit-eating grin, and jumps up to follow Mikael. Even bolts out of his chair, hoping that by the time he reaches Mikael, he can at least do a little bit of damage control.

“Hi!” Even hears Mikael’s loud voice exclaim as he reaches Isak and Jonas’ table, and  _ oh god no.  _ “I’m Mikael!”

“Um, hi?” Even hears Jonas greet hesitantly, his voice becoming more and more clear as he approaches the table.

“This is Elias, my bro, and my other bro, Even,” Mikael introduces, motioning to Even and Elias. In lieu of this, Even gives a halfhearted wave, sending a small smile in Isak’s direction.

Isak, considering the strange circumstances, looks oddly chill. However, he sends a small smile of his own back at Even.

“Even?” Jonas asks, furrowing his large brows in confusion. Suddenly, the same brows raise in surprise, and Even can almost hear the lightbulb going off in his head. “Oh! So  _ you’re  _ Even!”

“I’m Even,” Even confirms, furrowing his own brows. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Isak burying his face in his hands.

“You two know each other?” Mikael asks, his voice suspiciously light and innocent. 

“Yeah!” Jonas replies, and then backtracks quickly. “Well, we’ve never officially met, but I believe you and Isak know each other.”

Upon hearing his name, Isak takes his hands off his face to wave shyly. “I know Even,” Isak agrees, his voice soft and small. Even swoons.

“Oh!” Elias exclaims, exchanging mischievous grins with Mikael. “How do you two know each other.”

“Kosegruppa, right?” Jonas asks, turning his gaze to Isak. Isak, in reply, nods shyly.

“Even better,” Mikael says, throwing Even a not-so-subtle wink. “So listen, I heard that you two know how to get the best, uh,  _ greens  _ around here.” Mikael whispers the last part.

Both Isak and Even simultaneously roll their eyes.

“Oh, yeah!” Jonas exclaims, his blue eyes twinkling with glee. “You looking to buy, or?”

“Maybe,” Mikael shrugs, and then to Even’s surprise, he sits himself down. Elias follows suit. “Also, you two seem like cool dudes. And we’re still pretty new to this school, just learning the ropes, you know?”

_ That’s an understatement,  _ Even thinks as he sits himself down. Just yesterday, Mikael had tried to cook the three of them cheese toasties, and had almost burned the flat down. To say that it was an adventure would be accurate.

“Thanks, man,” Jonas says, reaching out his hand to slap it against Mikael’s in the ultimate bro-handshake. “You guys should come with us after school, at GSF skatepark. We’re gonna meet up with a couple other friends there and hang out, smoke some, y’know.” 

“Uh, I can’t right after school,” Even interrupts, and he actually takes a little glee in the fact that Jonas’ smile drops a little bit. Maybe he and Isak aren’t very subtle after all. “I have a doctors appointment, but I can join you guys afterwards?”

_ Doctors appointment,  _ meaning an assessment by a psychiatrist, to hopefully be able to get a proper human diagnosis and some medication. Both Elias and Mikael’s gazes soften in understanding.

“Totally, man,” Jonas says, thankfully not even suspicious about the whole ordeal. “Why don’t we exchange numbers, and then you can text me when you’re done?”

“Okay-”

“He has my number,” Isak interrupts, grinning sheepishly as the attention of the other boys rounds on him. Even feels his stomach swoop. “I mean, uh…”

“Okay,” Jonas says slowly, a small smirk spreading on his face. “But uh, I’ll grab your guys’ numbers still, just to coordinate plans and stuff…”

While Mikael, Elias, Even hand their phones over to Jonas, Even can’t help but send a small glance at Isak. Isak, who is smiling at Even, his expression so bright and wonderful.

Even if they can’t be out of the closet, Even still takes comfort in the fact that they can spend time together with their friends. This, at least, is a step in the right direction.

 

Location: Biology Classroom, Hartvig Nissens Skole

13/10/2016 kl. 13:29

“I’m telling you, it’s A,” Sana’s voice says in Isak’s ear.

Isak, who is busy re-reading the question, rolls his eyes for the hundredth time just in this class.

“Nei, Sana,” Isak retorts, but he isn’t actually intending to be mean to her. “It’s D, we’ve gone over this in class. Just trust me.”

“I trust myself,” Sana argues, and Isak looks back up at her stupidly stubborn gaze. “And I know that it’s A.”

“Whatever,” Isak says, and then stops, when he hears the ping of his phone.

Isak perks up for a second, because he knows that it’s probably Even who is texting him, possibly to talk abou what had happened at lunch. 

However, when Isak opens his phone, he deflates, something akin to a sad, lone balloon leftover from a child’s birthday party.

It’s been awhile since Marianne has texted him.

 

**From: Mamma**

_ knowing that YOU were ransomed from the futile wfays inherited from your forefathers,, not with perishable things s3uch as silver o/r gold, but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, like that of a la*mb without blemisNh or spot _

 

Isak quickly stores his phone back in his pocket, but the damage is already done.

“Who’s that?” Sana asks, and surprisingly, all traces of sarcasm are gone from her voice.

“Just my Mamma,” Isak replies quickly, shrugging his shoulders, as if to imply that it doesn’t bother him. What he’ll never say, however, is that it bothers him a lot.

“Is she okay?” Sana wonders, her voice soft, and when Isak turns to her, her eyes are soft and comforting.

“She’s fine,” Isak confirms, hoping that Sana will drop it. “She just really likes her religion.”

He hopes that the disdain doesn’t show through in his tone, but unfortunately, Sana just appears to have even more pity swimming in her eyes.

“You know,” Sana says, twirling with her pen in her hands. “I wasn’t Muslim my whole life, it was something that I chose for myself.”

Isak furrows his brows, but nods his head to let her know to keep talking.

“I, uh,” she hesitates for a second. “I used to think that religion was stupid, and that people who believed weren’t capable of rational thought. But then I found Islam, and everything just clicked for me. I’ve never felt more at peace in my life, and I suddenly realised, that this was what all these other people were feeling. There’s nothing that stupid about that.”

“There’s nothing stupid about believing in a higher power,” Isak agrees, giving her a small smile.

“No,” Sana replies, and then pauses for a moment, seemingly in deep thought. “I don’t know what’s going on with your Mamma, Isak. But I just wanted you to know that she seems to really love you. She wouldn’t be sharing that with you if she didn’t care.”

“I know,” Isak says, leaning back against his chair. “Thanks, Sana.”

“Anytime,” she responds, and then suddenly stiffens. “Okay, now where were we?”

 

Location: District Psychiatric Outpatient Service, Oslo, Norway

13/10/2016 kl. 2:49

Even can say with certainty that he’s been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

On Europa, there are no services for people like him. People who sometimes get really really high, and then get really really low. He’s had to live with the silent knowledge that he was crazy since he was about seventeen years old.

Given the chance to live on Earth, Even jumped at the chance. The day that he got here, he had booked an appointment with his GP, who had then referred him to the District Psychiatric Outpatient Service to see a psychiatrist. His GP had seen eye-to-eye with Even, suspecting that Even is in fact, suffering with bipolar disorder. To some people, this may seem like the end of the world. To Even, however, this was a fresh new beginning. A beginning where he didn’t have to worry about when he got a little too excited, or when he had trouble sleeping in fear or a manic episode. This truly felt like the beginning of the rest of his life.

“Hi there,” Even greets the receptionist working at the front desk. She greets him with a kind smile. “My name is Even Bech Næsheim, I have an appointment with Dr. Nygård?”

“Hm,” she taps away at her computer for a second. “Alright, I’ll have you come follow me, and then Dr. Nygård will come see you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Even follows her down the hallway, where she leads him into a small office, with the title card “Dr. Ellen Nygård” written on a plaque on the door.

While Even sits down and makes himself comfortable, he can’t help but feel a little surprised at how casual the office is decorated.

There are ferns in the corner, and the desk is filled with pictures of two young girls, most likely Dr. Nygård’s children. Even can’t help but smile at all the cute little decorations that adorn her desk. 

“Hello,” says a female voice to Even’s left, and Even looks up to find a middle-aged woman smiling kindly at him.

“Hi, Dr. Nygård?” Even asks, standing up to greet her, only because it seems polite.

“Please, call me Ellen,” she says, sticking out her hand to shake Even’s. “You must be Even?”

“Yes,” Even replies, shaking her hand and smiling at her softly. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Ellen responds, and then she motions for him to sit back down. When Even places himself back on the comfortable chair, she sits down across from him.

“So, I know that you’ve been referred by Dr. Jenssen,” Ellen says, interlacing her fingers on her crossed legs. “But I’d like to know what’s going on in your own words.”

Even chuckles, leaning back against his chair. “Where do I start?” he asks, and suddenly, he feels a little strange talking about this with someone that he barely knows. Europan culture means that you don’t share anything personal, or weak-sounding about yourself. 

“You can start wherever you’d like,” Ellen replies, her voice sounding warm and inviting. “Everything that we talk about here is 100% confidential, which means that I am legally not allowed to tell anyone else what you’re telling me, okay?”

“Okay,” Even sighs, and despite his uneasiness, he feels a little bit more comforted. “I guess, uh, I’ve always been really hyperactive as a kid?”

“How so?”

“Well, like,” Even pauses for a second, racking his brain for the memories where he’d actually known his birth givers. “I’d annoy the hell out of my parents, like, I’d just chew their heads off with the stupidest facts and stuff. I was constantly moving, and no one could keep up with my energy, not even my friends.”

“Was this distressing to you in any way?” Ellen asks, furrowing her brows in what appears to be interest.

“I mean, I didn’t realise that what I was doing was strange,” he replies, shrugging his shoulders. “But I guess it bothered me that no one else seemed to want to pay attention to me. It was like they didn’t even want to  _ try  _ to understand me, you know?”

“I can imagine that as a young child that must have been difficult,” Ellen sympathizes, and even though she’s just doing her job, Even can tell that she really cares. 

“Yeah, but I guess I always kind of tried to ignore it?” Even says, and his mind flashes back to the times where he’d left his birth givers, and joined the Headquarters with Mikael and Elias. “It wasn’t really a problem until I suddenly couldn’t get out of bed one day.”

“Do you know what triggered that?” Ellen wonders, and Even sighs, casting his eyes down at his fingers, which he’s picking at; A common habit he has when he’s anxious.

“I remember I was spending a lot of time with my friend Mikael,” Even says slowly, cautious about his choice of words as to not give any of his extraterrestrial away. “I think I was about fifteen or so, and this was around the time that I was realising that I also liked boys.” He stops for a moment, looking back up at Ellen nervously in order to gauge her reaction.

If Ellen is surprised, she doesn’t show it. Rather, she nods her head encouragingly.

“I guess that I really liked him, and suddenly, it was all I could think about,” Even pauses for a second, because this was the point where every doctor in Europa stopped being able to help him. However, Even needed to remind himself that this time would be different. “I stopped eating, I stopped sleeping, but I had so much energy.”

Ellen nods, a slow expression of understanding dawning on her face. Even feels himself sighing in relief.

“Honestly, the whole thing is kind of a blur to me,” Even continues, glad to be able to be given the opportunity to express himself without interruption. “But I know that everyone told me that I was speaking really fast, and it would only ever be about Mikael. I wasn’t able to do any of my school work, unless I somehow incorporated something with him in it. And then, one day, I remember I was hanging out with him in his bedroom, and I just kissed him. I don’t even really know why I did it, because I knew that he wasn’t interested in me like that.”

“Did you maybe feel like you were somehow invincible?” Ellen asks in the time that Even takes to pause. “Like, no matter what happened, the consequences wouldn’t affect you?”

“Yeah,” Even confirms, allowing himself to adorn the smallest of smiles, because she wasn’t treating him like he was a freak. “That’s exactly how I felt. Like somehow, the rules didn’t apply to me. Or maybe that I could make him interested if I just kissed him. But of course, it didn’t happen that way. He just shoved me off him and asked me what the fuck I was doing. Now I know that I’d just caught him by surprise and that he hadn’t meant to say those things, but at the time, I couldn’t handle it.”

“So, then you weren’t able to get out of bed?”

“Basically,” Even replies, scratching the back of his head. “For like, two weeks, all I could do was lie down.”

“And what was going through your head at that time?” Ellen inquires, her blue eyes open and honest.

“I felt like it was the end of the world,” Even says truthfully, allowing himself to sink back into the memory of the depression for a little bit. “I felt like everything was pointless, because I was unlovable. Like, something was seriously wrong with me, and that I should just lie down and wither away into nothingness.”

“And what brought you out of it?” 

“Mikael,” Even replies, letting out a little chuckle. “He came into my room one day, lied down next to me, and just started talking to me. About how he was sorry for the way he reacted, and that I was his best friend, and that he couldn’t live without me. Eventually, I was able to get out of bed, and I thought that maybe, the whole thing had passed.”

“But it hadn’t.” This isn’t a question, rather, it’s more of a statement.

“No,” Even says, shaking his head with a grimace. “Just last year, I think, it kinda came back again. I was with my girlfriend at the time, Sonja. I just remember her being really, I don’t know, controlling, I guess?” Even stops for a second.

In reality, Sonja wasn’t technically his girlfriend, however, it felt easier just to say that.

“Controlling?”

“Yeah, well,” Even shrugs. “She knew about what had happened in the past, and so she like, came up with all of these things that I should do in order to stay healthy? So, she’d try to control what I ate and when I slept, and stuff. And I couldn’t handle not being in control of my own life like that, so I took it to the extreme. I would pretend to eat the food she’d given me, or I’d stay up really late, and allow myself to become fixated on something like I was with Mikael. This time, I’d be staying up and watching really horrible things.”

“What did you watch?” 

“Have you ever seen the film, Full Metal Jacket?” Even asks, leaning forward, resting his elbow on his spread knees.

Ellen shakes her head.

“It’s a Stanley Kubrik film about the Vietnam war,” Even explains, and he sees Ellen’s face light up in recognition a little bit. “So, I got really fixated on this one part in the film, where the protagonist, Private Joker, takes a struggling soldier, Private Pyle, under his wing. As the film progresses, it gets more and more disturbing, and Private Pyle is getting better at shooting, but it’s obvious that something is wrong. One night, Joker wakes up to shouting in the bathroom, and when he goes to check it out, it’s Pyle. Eventually, Joker gets Pyle to calm down, and then he says,  _ ‘Leonard, if Hartman catches us in here, we’ll both be in a world of shit.’  _ Then Pyle looks back up at him, and he says,  _ ‘I am in a world of shit.’ _ Then he shoots himself in the head with a 762 millimetre full metal jacket bullet. And I couldn’t stop watching it over and over again.”

“Was that something that you wanted to do?” Ellen asks, and Even can see the sadness shimmering in her eyes.

“I didn’t want to shoot myself in the head, no,” Even chuckles humorlessly. “I just couldn't stop thinking about what Pyle had said. Because I knew that the world wasn’t mean for broken people like me. It was meant for people like Sonja, who knew how to micromanage everything to perfection. I was just a wildcard in her equation. I was the product of the division by zero. I had no place in this world. At the same time, I couldn’t stop moving. It felt like my head and my body were in two places at once.”

“But you still felt that same feeling of invincibility as before?” Ellen asks.

“Yeah,” Even says, biting his lip apprehensively, because he knows what comes next. “So, I climbed onto the roof of my school building one day, and of course, Sonja followed me, because she could probably sense that something was off. She was right, because when she found me, I was threatening to jump off the ledge. She had to scream for help, and eventually, some people heard her and pulled me back to safety. At least, that’s what Sonja told me had happened. Honestly, the entire thing feels like a blur to me.”

“And did you crash after that?”

“Mhm,” Even nods for a second, and he can’t stop the feeling of numbness to slowly creep back into him, filling his lungs like a parasite, latching onto his arteries; Slowly but surely killing him. “I don’t think that I got out of bed for a month after that. My friends stopped by to visit me, but not even Mikael could bring me out of it. It felt like someone had attached weights to my body or something.”

“And the same feelings from before came back?” 

“Yeah,” Even confirms, licking his lips once more. “I felt like I should be dead, or something. Like, that I didn’t deserve to have anyone help me with any of my problems.”

“And what brought you out of it?” Ellen wonders, uncrossing her legs, and then recrossing them on the other side.

“I was given the opportunity to move to move to Oslo,” Even says, knowing that he needs to downplay this part of the story. “And so I moved all of my energy into that. I needed to get my grades up, and I was promised good health care once I got there. I knew that I’d be living on my own too, but I was still doing the whole thing with Mikael and a couple of my other friends. Honestly, it just felt so refreshing, I just had to take it.”

In all reality, Even had been given the opportunity to move to Earth to look for the missing baby. Despite that, though, Even’s doctor, who had been trying to come up with some sort of solution, had told him that Earthling’s treated his type of ailments differently, and that they would be able to help him. And so, Even studied comprehensively, and joined his friends on the new planet.

“And where do you see yourself now?” Ellen asks, smiling encouragingly.

“Well, I’ve kind of just entered a new relationship?” Even says, letting out a disbelieving laugh.

“That’s wonderful,” Ellen says, her smile now bright and genuine. “What’s their name?”

“Isak,” Even replies, and smiles just at the thought of him. “He’s so good to me.”

“Does he know about everything we’ve talked about?” Ellen inquires, and Even freezes a little bit.

“We’re uh, still pretty new,” Even says, playing with his fingers once more. “I wanted to go and get an official diagnosis and get this under control before I told him. That was, he’d know that I was serious about wanting to get better.”

“I can tell that you’re willing to get better,” Ellen compliments, and Even preens under the attention. For once in his life, the attention is positive. “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you think that diagnosis is?”

“Aren’t you the doctor?” Even teases, and Ellen chuckles.

“I am, yes,” she replies, winking at him in the same teasing manner. “But I’d like to hear what you think first.”

“I think I have Bipolar Disorder,” Even whispers, and suddenly, there are tears coming to his eyes. He’s never said it out loud before.

“I think so too,” Ellen confirms, and just like that, Even bursts into tears.

“Sorry,” Even gasps, wiping at his face frantically.

“It’s okay,” Ellen says, her voice slow and soothing, and she reaches out to her desk to offer Even a tissue. He takes it wordlessly. “Is this the first time you’ve ever had a diagnosis for this?”

“Yeah,” Even chokes, attempting in vain to stifle his sobs. “It j-just feels so good to hear it.”

“I can imagine,” Ellen hums in sympathy. “Take all the time you need, okay?”

“Okay,” Even repeats, sniffling unattractively.

“When you’re ready, we’ll talk about treatment options and medications, okay?” Ellen says, and just like that, Even’s entire world lights up in a way he’d never realised was possible.

This is more than just stability. This is Even getting a new chance at life. Fuck everything else. Fuck the mission. Even has just found his new home. He has Isak, he has his friends, and now, he has this new doctor. This new doctor who listens to him, who  _ understands  _ him. Europa couldn’t replace this feeling even if it tried.

 

Location: GSF Skatepark, Oslo, Norway

13/10/2016 kl. 4:16

**From: Even <3**

_ Hey, just got done with my appointment, and I’m on the tram now! _

 

When Isak’s phone buzzes, he snatches it quickly, despite the slow haze that surrounds him.

 

**To: Even <3**

_ Okay bby! How long do you think you’ll be? _

 

**From: Even <3**

_ Maybe about 5 minutes or so… I’ll text you when I’m here, and then we can meet up? _

 

**To: Even <3**

_ Definitely. I can try to sneak away from the boys to meet you, that way maybe i’ll get a kiss? _

 

**From: Even <3**

_ Fuck yeah. _

 

Isak locks his phone with a small smirk.

“Is that Even?” Jonas asks, his voice slow and careful like it always is when he’s high.

“Yeah,” Isak replies quietly, but he knows it’s no use, since Elias and Mikael, who are stoned as fuck, can hear him very clearly. “He’ll be here in five minutes.”

“Oh, Even!” Mikael exclaims, his voice slurred. “What a good guy! Isak, you got lucky with him!”

“Uh,” Isak stutters, almost too afraid to ask, but he can’t help himself. “What do you mean?”

“I mean like,” Mikael explains, or rather, attempts to string together something coherently. “He’s just such a nice guy, so tall. You’re lucky that he likes you so much.”

“What do you mean?” Isak asks, attempting to sound innocent, and failing miserably.

“He just like,” Mikael slurs, patting a very out-of-it Elias on the back. “He always gets so excited whenever you two talk. It’s actually adorable.”

“But like,” Elias buts in, blinking his eyes rapidly. “In a total bro-way, you know?”

“Right,” Isak says, biting back his laugh.

He exchanges glances with Jonas, who seems to be thinking the same thing as him; Who the fuck are these guys, why are they acting like it’s their first time getting high, and why are they so cool?

 

**From: Even <3**

_ I’m here now… come meet me at the entrance? _

 

**To: Even <3**

_ On my way <3 _

 

“I’ll be right back,” Isak says, lifting himself up slowly. Jonas turns to look at him, raising his eyebrows in confusion. “I need to piss, God.”

Everyone chuckles, and Jonas leaves it alone. 

When Isak approaches the gate, Even is already standing there, with a huge smile on his face.

“Hi,” Isak says, walking towards the gate with his arms outstretched.

“Hi,” Even replies, and he throws his arms around Isak’s shoulders.

Isak is just that little bit shorter, and so he’s able to bury his nose in the crook of Even’s neck and breathe in his scent. Isak thinks that there isn’t any better place in the world that he’d rather be.

Even runs his hands down Isak’s back, his fingers leaving goosebumps in their wake. Isak sighs, because despite the cool autumn air, he now feels so comfortably cool in Even’s arms.

“How was your doctor's appointment?” Isak asks softly, pulling back from the embrace slightly so that he can look Even in the eyes.

“It was good,” Even says, and then he smiles, his blue eyes twinkling in the autumn sun. “Really good.”

“I’m glad, then,” Isak replies, and when he leans in to kiss Even, he is met with no resistance.

Something about Even that Isak has learned, is that he always kisses like it’s his first time; enthusiastically, passionately, and so, so wonderfully.

There’s just something about being completely wrapped up in Even, that makes Isak so completely happy. Maybe it’s the way that he always seems to keep Isak comfortably cool. Or maybe it’s the way that he makes Isak’s stomach swoop every single time they kiss. Or perhaps, it’s the way that Even clutches onto his curls, and pulls him in deeper, with a tongue across Isak’s bottom lip. 

Either way, Isak has no problem reciprocating in the same manner, clutching the fabric of Even’s jean jacket between his fingers and opening up his mouth to allow Even’s tongue entry. And when Even sighs into the kiss, and tugs just a little bit harder on Isak’s hair, well, Isak’s thinks that the moan he lets out just about sums up how he feels about that.

They pull apart with a long, slow peck, but unfortunately, Isak is smiling too hard in order to continue.

“Shall we head back?” Even murmurs, grinning when Isak lets out a petulant whine. “We need to meet the guys eventually.”

“Fine,” Isak huffs, but not before pecking Even on the lips softly. “I guess so.”

 

“Even!” Mikael shouts upon seeing him, and he stands up wobbily to hug him. Isak has to hold back a laugh, especially at the surprised look on Even’s face. In summary, it is absolutely adorable, that way his eyes widen in surprise and how he bursts out in infectious laughter.

“Hey, man,” Even says, patting Mikael on the back. “Hello everyone!”

“Hey, bro,” Jonas greets, holding out his hand for Even to shake. However, when Jonas turns back to Isak, his face isn’t exactly warm anymore.

“Ran into him on my way back,” Isak lies, shrugging nonchalantly. “Brought him back here.”

“Oh, fy faen!” Elias exclaims, as Even settles down in between Isak and Mikael. “You need to try this, dude!”

He hands Even the joint, and Even laughs, his eyes gleaming. “No thanks, man,” Even chuckles, waving Elias’ offering hand away. “I’m not supposed to.”

Isak furrows his brows. “You’re not supposed to?” he teases, turning his head so that he can look Even in the eyes properly. “Who said that, your mom?”

_ “My _ mom doesn’t give a shit,” Even snorts, winking at Isak, or rather, attempting to wink at Isak subtly. “My doctor, however, does.”

“You told your doctor that you smoke?” Jonas asks in disbelief, and Isak turns to him, laughing as he does so.

“She asked if I smoked,” Even says, throwing his arms up in defence. “What was I supposed to say? She’s supposed to help me!”

“Dude, you couldn’t lie even if you tried,” Elias pipes in from somewhere in Isak’s periphery. “Seriously, one time me and Even were hanging out, and his girlfriend at the time comes up to him and was like, “ _ Even are you cheating on me?”  _ and then he was like, “ _ Yup!”  _ I swear to God, I’d never seen her so pissed before!”

Jonas and Mikael laugh along with the story, but Isak’s stomach sinks. He can feel Even’s gaze burning a hole through him.

“She wasn’t my girlfriend, asshole,” Even snaps, which sobers up the boys instantly. When Isak looks back up again, Even isn’t even looking at him anymore. Instead, he’s playing with his fingers nervously.

“Oh, right,” Elias says, a little delayed. “Sorry man, my bad.”

“It’s all good,” Even says, tilting his head back up again and forcing a smile.

“Anyways,” Jonas interrupts, and Isak feels a rush of gratitude go through him. “So did you hear about Julian Dahl?”

“What about him?” Isak giggles, and the rest of the boys look at them curiously.

“He came out,” Jonas shrugs, and once again, Isak’s stomach drops. “Dude was saying how he was surprised that no one had guessed sooner. Apparently he had a habit of making out with other guys at parties or something.”

“He’s gay?” Mikael asks, and Isak is relieved to hear that his tone is merely curious, not judgmental

“I think so,” Jonas replies, and oddly enough, he’s looking at Isak. “But I mean, good for him.”

Isak hums in agreement. Beside him, he can feel Even squeezing his thigh.

“Speaking of gay,” Elias slurs, and beside him, Even stiffens again. “One time me and Even-”

“Thank you Elias!” Even interrupts, but this time, he has a sheepish smile on his face. “But I think you should save the embarrassing stories for when you’re sober, hm?” 

“But it’s such a good story!” Elias pouts, and Isak giggles again. 

“Trust me dude,” Even teases, reaching an arm across Isak to pat Elias on the shoulder. His heart skips a beat at Even’s fingertips brush against his collarbone. “I have plenty of embarrassing stories about you too. Like the time you came home drunk and Sana-”

“Let’s never speak of that again!” Elias interrupts, and Mikael snorts out a burst of laughter beside him.

 

Beside him, Jonas nudges Isak, raising his eyebrows silently. After all the years of knowing Jonas, Isak knows that this is his way of asking Isak if he’s alright. The thing is, Isak is alright. He’s more alright than he has been in a long time.

 

Location: Even’s flat, Oslo, Norway

15/10/2016 kl.19:07

“Baby,” Isak whines from his comfortable sea of pillows on Even’s bed. “Come lie down with me!”

“Just a second,” Even muses from somewhere across the room. Isak hears a  _ click,  _ and then soft music starts playing from the speakers.

Isak smiles into the linens, the soft fabric tickling his bare skin. He only turns around when he feels a weight drop beside him on the mattress, and he snuggles into the outstretched arms.

“Hello,” Even murmurs, the consonants vibrating in his throat. “You’re so cute, you know that?”

“Um,  _ nei,” _ Isak argues, lifting his head so that he can pepper kisses along Even’s jawline. “You’re cute.”

“Looks like we’re at a disagreement here,” Even chuckles, squirming in the sheets as Isak begins an onslaught of kisses all over his face.

“I won’t stop until you admit that you’re cuter,” Isak argues stubbornly, kissing the corner of Even’s mouth ever-so-gently.

Instead of replying, Even runs his hand along Isak jawline, and pulls him in for a real kiss. Isak allows himself to be guided onto his back, where Even deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue along gently alongside Isak’s. Isak lets out the tiniest of moans, but it seems to spur Even on even further. He runs his free hand down to Isak’s thigh and lifts it, high enough to wrap around Even’s torso. Isak follows the motions enthusiastically, running his own hands across Even’s smooth chest in response.

“Admit it,” Isak gasps when they break apart, trailing his fingers up to Even’s hair to clutch at the strands. “You’re cute.”

“Fine,” Even admits, giggling when Isak gives a small “ _ whoop!”  _ in celebration. “But if I’m cute, then you’re fucking adorable.”

“Hm,” Isak muses, opening his legs up a little more for Even to settle in comfortably. “I just think that I’m so lucky to have met you.”

At this, Even pulls back slightly, a small frown on his face. “What do you mean?” he asks, settling back against his haunches.

Isak sighs in disappointment, but nevertheless settles back down against the pillows, and wills himself not to fuck up this explanation.

“I just felt like for the longest time,” Isak says, pausing for a second to lick his lips nervously. “I couldn’t be out, you know? Like, Isak Valtersen being out and proud was sort of something that was mutually exclusive, you know?”

“Mutually exclusive?”

“Yeah,” Isak explains, fiddling with his fingers gently. “Like, mutually exclusive meaning two things that cannot exist together. Think of it this way; is it raining outside?”

“Uh…” Even cranes his neck upwards, looking out towards the window. “No, it isn’t.”

“Right,” Isak says, tugging on Even’s wrist so that he’ll look back at Isak. “So, what is it not doing right now?”

“It’s…” Even ponders for a second, settling down next to Isak, and placing his head alongside Isak on the pillow. “It’s not raining?”

“Exactly,” Isak declares, but when Even furrows his brows in confusion, Isak continues. “It can’t be raining, and not raining at the same time.”

“I don’t understand what rain has to do with this,” Even says, tracing his fingertips along Isak’s eyebrows gently.

“Because it’s mutually exclusive,” Isak explains, blowing on Even’s tickling fingers gently. “It can’t be raining and not raining; Isak Valtersen can’t be out and happy at the same time.”

“Isak…” Even trails off, brushing his fingers through Isak’s hair instead. A crease forms between between his brows.

“Until I met you,” Isak continues, giving Even a genuine smile, for his eyes only. “I met you, and suddenly, those two universes merged together. The impossible must’ve happened, because suddenly, I realised that I could be happy, and gay at the same time. And I don’t care who knows anymore.”

Even says nothing. Instead, he kisses Isak, slow and steady. Isak clings onto Even’s waist desperately, breathing in his scent deeply.

When they part, they rest their foreheads together, and they breathe. If it started raining outside, Isak wouldn’t even be surprised.

“I think I know what you mean,” Even whispers into the quiet ambiance of the dark room. “The whole, mutually exclusive thing.”

“How so?”

“I never thought that I could be normal,” Even says, casting his gaze down and licking his lips nervously. “Because I’ve never been normal. Or I guess, I’ve never felt in control, until I came here, and I met you.”

“What do you mean?” Isak asks, tilting Even’s chin upward with his fingers gently so that their gazes are equal. 

“I need to tell you something,” Even says, pulling back, so that he can shuffle up the bed into a sitting position. Isak follows nervously, however, he still puts a hand gently on Even’s shoulder.

“Take your time,” Isak whispers, and Even runs his hand gently along Isak’s.

“The reason I went to the doctors yesterday,” Even murmurs, and then hesitates. “It wasn’t a regular doctor that I went to.”

“Are you okay?” Isak asks immediately, sitting cross-legged so that he can take in Even’s entire frame, as if checking for visible wounds.

“Yeah,” Even nods, drumming his fingers against his bare thigh. “I went to a psychiatrist.”

“What did they tell you?” Isak inquires, almost afraid of the answer.

“That I’m bipolar,” Even whispers, shutting his eyes tightly.

The world stops for a second. Then, a second later, Isak hears the pitter-patter of the rain on Even’s window.

“I’m not too familiar with it,” Isak admits quietly, but he runs his hands soothingly across Even’s thigh. “Could you explain it to me?”

“Mainly, it’s mania,” Even swallows, finally opening his eyes to meet Isak’s once more. “Which means that I can get really excited about something, and like, I’ll stop eating and sleeping just to do that thing. And then I’ll crash into a depression.”

“You just found this out?” Isak asks in disbelief, because he knows that his mother saw a million doctors, and none of them ever diagnosed her properly.

“Well, I’ve known for awhile,” Even explains. “But this was the first time I’ve ever seen someone about it. And now she has me started on these meds that are supposed to help. Before I continued with them, I guess I just wanted you to know.”

Isak is silent for a moment, and he tries to integrate this new information into his brain. He had a mentally ill mother growing up, who has traumatised him. Now, he finds out that Even is also mentally ill. Can Isak date someone who is mentally ill after his mother?

Isak thinks back to the conversation that he and Even had a moment ago. Isak had fallen for the same Even, the one who radiates love and kindness, and who gives the best hugs. The one who gives Isak the space to be himself, his true self, and then is able to reel him in with kisses and cuddles that make Isak’s heart sing with joy. Even is the one who makes Isak want to show the rest of the world that being gay and being happy is not mutually exclusive. Rather, to Isak, the two words are synonymous. Throughout all of this, Even has been bipolar all along.

“There was a time where I may have had a different reaction to that,” Isak admits, and Even’s head snaps up in surprise. “I don’t really talk about my family a lot, but my mom wasn’t well when I was growing up.”

“Your adoptive mom?” Even asks, reaching out to intertwine his fingers with Isak’s.

“Yeah,” Isak says, twiddling with Even’s thumb. “She used to have these pretty terrifying delusions, and usually they were centered around my sister. I used to be so scared of her, but I guess I’ve kind of just realised that everything she’d done, was to protect me. Like, that was her way of showing her love for me.”

“Is she okay now?” Even’s voice is soft and sweet, and his fingers that are intertwined with Isak’s feel just as gentle.

“She’s doing better now,” Isak says, pressing a quick kiss to the back of Even’s hand, just because he can. “And I want you to be able to feel loved and cared for, no matter what your diagnosis is, okay? If there’s one thing that my mother taught me, it’s to love unconditionally.”

“Okay,” Even whispers, a hint of a smile gracing his features. “Your mom sounds like a wonderful woman.”

“Marianne Valtersen is truly one of a kind,” Isak chuckles, and Even freezes. Isak doesn’t know how subtle Even thinks he’s being, but he looks like he’s just seen a ghost.

“Even?” Isak asks quietly, tapping his hand gently. “You okay?”

Even looks at him like he’s just seen Isak for the first time.

“Let’s do something together this weekend,” Even says, and he’s sitting up, a new gleam in his eyes. “Let’s head out of town, rent a hotel room, or something.”

“What?” Isak deadpans, but Even ignores him, getting out of bed excitedly.

“Think about it,” Even explains, as if everything suddenly makes sense. “We’ll get away from all the noise of Oslo, just get some peace and quiet for ourselves. You can go out in public and hold my hand, because no one that knows you will be able to see you!”

“Even,” Isak begins, trailing his words slowly. “Did you miss the part where I told you that I’m comfortable with coming out?”

“Think of it like a trial run,” Even says, finally sitting back down on the bed, and gently cupping the back of Isak’s neck. “That way, you can be sure that you really want this for yourself.”

“Why this weekend, though?” Isak wonders, running his fingers down Even’s bare chest.

“Nothing specific about this weekend,” Even replies, curling his hand into the hair’s at the nape of Isak’s neck. “I just want to get away with you is all.”

“Okay,” Isak says, and he truly means it. “As long as you’re totally sure that this is what you want.”

“Isak,” Even murmurs, slowly but surely leaning forward to rest his forehead against Isak’s. “I’ve never felt anything like this, ever. Of course I want to do this with you. I always want to be with you.”

“I always want to be with you, too,” Isak replies, and Even smiles. When their lips meet, the rain outside stops, however, Isak and Even continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	4. Misson: Save the Missing Europan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll explain everything tonight,” Even whispers back, his cool breath gently against Isak’s lips. “In Drammen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and sorry for not uploading! I have been swamped with midterms, and I still have more to go, so consider this my little gift to you <3  
> I don't have the next part finished so I'm sorry but it may be a little while before I post again!  
> With all that out of the way, I really hope you enjoy <3

Location: Elias and Sana’s Flat, Oslo, Norway

17/10/2016 kl. 16:27

“I don’t know Sana,” Mikael says hesitantly. Out of the corner of Even’s eye, he can see Elias bracing himself. “Isak seems pretty… human to me.”

“I’m telling you,” Sana retorts, and Even refuses to keep eye contact with her. “There’s something about him. He’s  _ always  _ warm, for one.”

“That could just be a regular thing,” Mikael argues, leaning back against the arm of the sofa. “Teenage boys are weird creatures, after all.”

“I mean, that’s true,” Sana says, smirking. “But I don’t know, he just  _ seems  _ like such a Europan to me. He’s got the same dry sense of humour, he’s really smart, and really literal in everything he says.”

“That could just be a coincidence,” Even says, as if he doesn’t know the truth. As if his entire world didn’t turn on its axis when Isak revealed to him the other night that his mother was none other than Marianne Valtersen. As if he didn’t have to keep this a secret from Sana if it meant staying with Isak.

“He has the same last name as her,” Sana argues, and Even can’t come up with an argument for that. “I’m not saying that we need to start talking about aliens whenever he’s around, but I’m sure as hell going to start asking more questions.”

“What about Even, though?” Elias asks, grinning cheekily.

_ Oh no. _

“Are you talking about Even’s crush on Isak?” Sana asks, brushing a crumb off her pants nonchalantly.

“I didn’t even tell you about that!” Even splutters, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

“There’s more than that, though,” Mikael says, winking at Even. “We think they’re hooking up.”

Even rolls his eyes, because what were the chances that Mikael and Elias smoking weed actually made them  _ smarter?  _ To make matters worse, Elias and Mikael are grinning like they just solved the mystery of the universe.

“Are you two hooking up?” Sana asks, looking thoroughly not impressed.

“Uh…” Even silently curses the Gods. “Maybe?”

While Mikael and Elias burst into rowdy laughter, Sana shouts out a “Are you fucking kidding me, Even?”

“Sorry,” Even cringes, throwing out his arms as a shield from the wrath of Sana. “He wasn’t comfortable with anyone knowing, I didn’t want to out him before he was ready!”

“Ugh, fine,” Sana groans, and luckily, she doesn’t attack Even. “But at least this gives us an advantage. Even, is Isak giving off alien vibes?”

This here is where Even would normally not be able to lie. However, something inside of him protests. Maybe it’s because Isak means so much to him. Or maybe, it’s because Even and lying are no longer mutually exclusive.

“No,” Even lies, holding back his grin of satisfaction as Sana’s expression deflates. “He seems totally normal to me.”

 

Location: Boy’s Washroom, Hartvig Nissens Skole

18/10/2016 kl. 12:10

**To: Isak <3**

_ Come meet me in the upstairs bathroom, I wanna talk to you <3 _

 

**From: Isak <3**

_ Ur such a bad influence bby. Im on my way <3 _

 

When Isak enters the bathroom, Even can’t help but realise just how Europan Isak is.

For starters, Isak is constantly complaining about the heat. Even suspects that Isak hasn’t been given the same immune boosters that he has, because although his race is resilient, they thrive much better in the cold. Also, Sana was right about Isak. He thinks just the same as Europans. The Europan people are very literal, and they have just about the driest sense of humour. Isak embodies every single bit of this, however, it actually warms Even’s heart. It makes him happy to see, because Isak, despite being an alien, grew up human. This means that he embodies every single trait that Even has come to love about the human race, and yet, has somehow managed to incorporate his Europan and made it one of a kind.

“Hei,” Even murmurs, reaching his arms out to embrace Isak.

“Hei,” Isak responds, and Even’s heart skips a beat when he feel Isak’s cool nose burrowing into Even’s neck.

Whenever they embrace, Even swears that everything in the world is right again. When Isak wraps his arms around Even’s torso, he has completely forgotten about the mission. When Isak nuzzles into him, Even forgets that Sana is closing in on them. And when Even breathes in Isak’s scent, he forgets everything else. It’s just the two of them, existing on a different plane called  _ IsakogEven.  _ It’s perhaps the most wonderful feeling in the world.

“I’ve rented us a cabin,” Even says, pulling away from the embrace so that he can press a quick kiss to Isak’s cheek. “In Drammen.”

“We’re going to Drammen?” Isak asks, an adorable smile spreading across his face.

“Yup,” Even declares, running his arms down Isak’s back to grab onto his waist. “It’s right on  _ Drammensfjorden.” _

“Fy faen!” Isak exclaims, pressing an excited peck onto Even’s mouth. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“No,” Even chuckles, pressing another quick peck to Isak’s soft lips. “I’m so excited.”

“How much is that going to cost?” Isak asks, his brows furrowed adorably. “I don’t really have any money, Even.”

“Don’t worry about the cost,” Even says, tickling Isak’s waist ever-so-gently. “My parents are pretty, uh, loaded.”

Okay, so maybe the money that the Europan government provided him wasn’t supposed to be spent on impromptu trips, but they didn’t have to know that.

“I did wonder how you could afford an apartment all by yourself in Oslo,” Isak teases, his fingers clutching gently at Even’s shirt. “Just don’t make this a habit.”

“I won’t,” Even promises, peppering small kisses on Isak’s cheek. 

“Okay,” Isak giggles, squirming under the assault of kisses. “I believe you!”

“We’ll catch the train after school on Friday,” Even says, halting the kisses for a second.

“You’re amazing,” Isak murmurs, and this time, it’s him that places the small kisses on Even’s cheek. “You know that?”

“Mm,” Even hums, and when he leans in to kiss Isak, it’s for a lot longer than just a second.

Perhaps making out in the boys bathroom isn’t the most romantic of places, but with Isak, he makes it work.

It works, especially when Isak’s tongue gently enters Even’s mouth, and especially when Isak lets out a little moan as he does so. It works when Even feels like he’s melting into the floor, because Isak knows just how to make Even feel loved. It works because Even is allowed to be bipolar and be happy, just as Isak is allowed to be out of the closet and happy. These two things go together, because they have no correlation to each other. They simply exist, just as Isak and Even do. Nothing, not even physical barriers, could ever stop Even from feeling this way.

He knows, no matter the outcome of this whole mission, that he’s not leaving Earth. He’s staying here, with the humans. He’s staying here, with Isak.

 

Location: Valtersen Household

21/06/2006 kl. 21:21

“Mamma,” A freshly seven-year old Isak Valtersen says, approaching his mother quietly. “Can I sit here?” 

She sits on the sofa in stoic silence, staring blankly at the wall across from her. Isak has gotten used to tiptoeing around his mother these past couple years.

“Yes, Isak,” Marianne Valtersen replies, except her words are completely detached from any coherent meaning. “Come sit next to me.”

Isak sits gingerly upon the sofa, careful not to make too loud of noises.

“It’s 21:21,” Isak mumbles, looking down at the hole in his sock. “You always like to remind me of that on my birthday.”

“21:21,” she repeats, uncomprehendingly. “Is that the time?”

“Yes, Mamma,” Isak confirms, daring a glance at her apathetic expression. “And today is my birthday.”

“Happy birthday, dear,” Marianne echoes, meeting his gaze with vacant eyes.

Isak whimpers, tears swimming in his own eyes. It isn’t fair. She is his Mamma, she’s supposed to wish him a happy birthday with a kiss on the head in the mornings and make him cake for him and all his friends. Instead, Isak is alone on his seventh birthday.

“Mamma,” Isak chokes, a single tear falling down his face. “What did they do to you?”

“The doctors fixed me,” his Mamma says, and suddenly, Isak’s Pappa is kneeling in front of him.

“Isak,” he says gently, reaching out to place a hand on Isak’s upper arm. “You know that her medication makes her like this sometimes.”

“But why?” Isak cries, his voice quickly rising in volume. “Why doesn’t she even recognize me?”

Beside them, Mamma begins to squirm in her seat. Terje makes a small shushing noise, not wanting to upset his wife.

“She always tells me about 21:21!” Isak shouts, ignoring his father’s pleading gaze. “It’s like she doesn’t even care about me anymore!”

“You know your mother loves you,” Terje murmurs, attempting to wipe his son’s tears away. “She’s trying really hard to be better for you.”

“God has brought me laughter,” Marianne murmurs under her breath, and Isak begins to cry harder.  “And everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

“Mamma, please!” Isak cries, shaking her shoulders, as if that will make her understand. 

“Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?” Marianne cries, slurring her words. “Yet I have borne him a son in his old age!”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Terje cuts in, grabbing his sobbing son around the waist and picking him up. Isak is too heavy to be carried like an infant, but Terje manages to make it work. Isak wraps his arms around Terje’s neck, and settles on his hip.

Marianne cries and incoherent ramblings become more and more faded as Terje carries his son to his bed. However, the words burn in young Isak Valtersen’s mind. 

 

Location: Valtersen Household

21/06/2007 kl. 21:21

“Isak?” A soft feminine voice knocks on an eight year old’s bedroom door. Isak looks up from his legos, to see his mother standing in the doorway. In the past couple years, Marianne Valtersen has aged beyond her years. She’s lost weight, her hair has thinned out, and her skin has become gaunt and sullen. Nevertheless, her eyes are still carry the same affectionate gleam.

“Mamma?’ Isak asks cautiously, shoving his legos to the side. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, love,” Marianne says, stepping into Isak’s room, walking past the outstretched legos, and sitting cross-legged next to him. “I just came in here to remind you that it’s 21:21.”

Isak doesn’t say anything. Instead, his bright green eyes fill with tears.

“I fell in love with you the moment I saw you at 21:21, June 21st, 1999,” Marianne whispers, embracing her son fully as he throws himself in her arms, letting out small sniffles. “And I will love you for all eternity.”

 

When Isak wakes up, it’s with tears in his eyes, and a small smile on his face.

 

Location: Biology Classroom, Hartvig Nissens Skole

21/10/2016 kl. 11:25

Isak and Sana work side-by-side in comfortable silence.

That’s the thing that Isak likes about Sana; she’s really good company, she’s sweet when she needs to be, and snarky when the time is right. Isak loves to debate her, but also, he just loves to spend time with her.

Except today, she seems to be preoccupied with something else. She’ll answer all of his questions with one word, her brows furrowed distractedly.

It takes Isak about twenty minutes to break.

“What’s up?” he blurts, throwing his pen down on his worksheet loud enough to startle Sana, who jumps slightly in her seat.

“What do you mean?” she asks quickly, but not quickly enough.

“Come on,” Isak replies, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. “You’re not your usual snarky self, so what’s going on?”

Sana looks at him for a moment, calculated and poised. Isak squirms under her gaze.

“Tell me, Isak,” she says, and Isak gulps, his stomach twisting in knots for some strange reason. “When you get hot, what do you do?”

“What?” Isak stares at her, because seriously, what the fuck?

“Please, just answer the question,” Sana pleads, her brown eyes glimmering with bizarre desperation.

“I take off my sweater,” Isak answers, as if it’s obvious,  _ which it is. _

“What if you’re not wearing a sweater?” Sana challenges, as if she’s somehow gotten Isak stuck in a corner.

“What the fuck?” Isak says, completely dumbfounded.

“Do you sweat?” Sana continues, raising her eyebrows. “Or do you just lie there feeling like you’re stuck in a furnace?”

_ Okay, what the fuck. _

“How did you know?” Isak asks tentatively, shrinking back as Sana smiles like she’s just won the lottery.

“Tell me, Isak,” Sana says, the glint in her eyes now resembling something almost  _ evil.  _ “What’s your mother’s name?”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with anything,” Isak retorts, leaning back in his chair, attempting to understand exactly what Sana is playing at.

“Just tell me!” Sana snaps, and then rears back, as if surprised by her own hostility.

“Her name is Marianne,” Isak blurts out, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing at, but I hope that answer satisfies you!”

“Fuck,” Sana whispers, all traces of anger completely void from her face. “It really is you.”

They both jump as the bell rings.

“Have a good lunch, Sana,” Isak says, not even bothering to pack up his stuff. Instead, he grabs his textbook and papers in a flurry, throws his backpack over his shoulder, and practically runs out to meet Even for lunch.

Even, however, is a little closer than Isak thought.

“Shit!” Isak exclaims as he collides with a hard chest. When Isak’s eyes travel up, up, up to the jean jacket, the beautiful blue eyes, he can’t help but melt.

“Halla,” Even says in his deep voice, and Isak momentarily forgets his panic in confusion.

“Halla,” Isak murmurs, because in this moment, they are stood in the middle of the hallway, and yet, it’s as if they are in their own little world again.

“Isak,” says a voice behind him, and suddenly, the image shatters. “Can we talk?”

Isak whirls around, to see Sana standing in the doorway, looking oddly unruly in a way that she normally isn’t.

“I thought we were going for lunch?” Even’s voice says behind him, which breaks him out of his reverie.

“Oh, yeah,” Isak says, laughing awkwardly. “I promised Even that-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sana whispers, except she’s staring right past Isak, and at Even.

Isak thinks that he can pinpoint the exact millisecond that an expression of pure, unadulterated panic shines in Even’s eyes.

“Change of plans,” Even says hurriedly, grabbing onto Isak’s upper arm in order to frantically tug him along. “We’re catching that train early, Isak.”

“To Dram-”

“Yes!” Even interrupts before Isak can even finish his question. When Isak turns back around, Sana is staring blankly back at Even. “Let’s get out of here, Isak.”

Before Isak can protest, he is being dragged out of his biology room by the firm hand on his upper arm. Isak stumbles along, clutching his textbook to his chest tightly.

They’re halfway down the hall when Isak hears her again.

“Don’t do this, Even!” Sana shouts, and Isak turns back, to see her stood frozen in the doorway of their classroom.

“Even?” Isak asks, turning back to his boyfriend. Even, however, tugs him along still.

“Let’s get out of here, baby,” Even replies, and finally, Isak follows along, out the doors of the school, to the tram stop.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Isak pants as they finally stop to wait for the tram.

“We’re going early,” Even says, his voice oddly detached. “Let’s just stop by your flat first so that you can grab your stuff.”

“Okay,” Isak hesitates for a second, taking the chance to place his book into his backpack haphazardly. “But you’re gonna need to explain what’s going on with Sana.”

“What do you mean?” Even asks, furrowing his brows, as if for some reason, Isak is the one who is acting strange.

“She said  _ ‘it’s really you’,” _ Isak replies, zipping up his backpack and standing to his full height once more. “What did she mean by that?”

“Isak,” Even says, grabbing onto Isak’s hands, and stepping in close. “There are some things that I haven’t told you, about your mother.”

“My mom?” Isak asks, completely frozen in place, not even caring that he and Even are being affectionate in public. “Marianne?”

“Yes, Marianne,” Even says, trailing one of his hands up to cup Isak’s cheek gently. “I’m sorry that I had to tell you this way, but I knew who your mom was before I met you.”

“You…” Isak hesitates, completely speechless, because  _ what the fuck?  _ “What do you mean?”

Even looks down for a moment contemplatively, licking his lips. When he looks back, his blue eyes are wide open, swimming with honesty. The problem with this is that Isak doesn’t even know what the truth is in the first place.

“The reason I came here, to Oslo,” Even whispers, running his fingers gently across Isak’s cheekbone. “Was because of you.”

The world stops. The cyclists around them freeze, the pedestrians halt mid-walk. The buzz and bustle of Oslo around them is silent. The only thing that exists right now is Isak and Even.

“What?” Isak whispers, his stomach dropping to his toes.

“I knew your father,” Even says, his expression pained. “Your real father.”

“My father,” Isak repeats, more of an echo than anything else.

“He didn’t know your name,” Even says, as if that explains everything. “The only thing that he knew was that you were in Marianne Valtersen’s care.”

Isak takes a step back from Even, effectively cutting off all bodily contact from him. Isak feels like his stomach is being ripped open, the bloody contents spilling out for the entire world to see.

“You knew who I was,” Isak says, confusion and hurt bleeding into his voice. Bleeding just like Isak, cold on the pavement. “Before you met me?”   
“I didn’t,” Even insists, rushing forward to take Isak’s cheeks between his fingers. “I didn’t know that it was you. I saw you on the first day of school, and I fell for you right away.”

Even places his forehead upon Isak’s, breathing in deeply. Isak allows himself to have this, because Even’s touch is the only thing keeping him together.

“Please believe me,” Even pleads, and his face is so close to Isak’s that their lips brush together oh-so-lightly. “I would never do that to you.”

When Even presses their lips together desperately, Isak kisses back. Perhaps it’s out of instinct. Or perhaps, it is a reflex, something that Isak has been hardwired for since birth. Either way, slowly but surely, Isak feels his stomach slowly being stitched up. As Even runs his tongue gently across Isak’s lower lip, for no other reason than to just feel, Isak’s feels like he’s woken up. His stomach now stitched together, however, weak and fragile. Any other blow to his being and the stitches will reopen like a fresh wound.

When they part, Isak gasps for the air that he didn’t even know he needed.

“I believe you,” Isak whispers, opening his eyes to meet Even’s dilated pupils. “But you still have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I’ll explain everything tonight,” Even whispers back, his cool breath gently against Isak’s lips. “In Drammen.”

 

Location: Drammensfjorden, Norway

21/10/2016 kl. 17:36

 

The hike, albeit a little challenging, is definitely worth it, especially when Isak sees the view surrounding him.

Twilight surrounds them as they settle into the cabin, lighting up the mountains and water surrounding them. Isak doesn’t even really consider himself an outdoorsy person, but he can’t help but appreciate this. The air around them is so wonderfully cool, and they’ve managed to escape the busy atmosphere of Oslo. Around them, it is serene, peaceful, and so pretty.

“Even,” Isak murmurs, putting down his overnight bag onto the floor just beside the bed. “Come here.”

Even, who had been tinkering around the room, turns to Isak, a small smile on his face.

It is quiet as Even approaches him, the only noise being his socked feet making soft thuds on the carpeted floor. Isak holds his breath, because Even is so beautiful, dressed in his rumpled hoodie, his hair mussed. Even could be dressed in anything, or nothing, and he would still be the most beautiful person that Isak had ever had the pleasure of meeting. No matter what happens tonight, Isak will never be able to get this image out of his head; Even, his skin pale against the orange sky outside their window, two opposites coming together and merging a multitude of opposites into one. Isak would never be able to forget Even Bech Næsheim.

Especially not when Even approaches him, arms wrapped around his waist. Isak follows in suit, wrapping his own arms around Even’s neck, crossing his wrists on top of Even’s upper back. 

“Please-”

“Just let me have this,” Even interrupts, breathing out heavily through his nose. “Please, Isak.”

Isak studies his boyfriend. His blue eyes, clear as the water of the fjord outside, sing promises to him. They’re singing familiar melodies of,  _ trust me, I will explain everything soon. _

“Okay,” Isak breathes, and then they’re kissing, their lips dancing together in the way that they have done a thousand times before; Isak bottom lip in between Even’s. They breathe as one, the wet noises of their lips, and then tongues, coming together.

Isak allows himself to be guided towards the bed by Even, stumbling through the darkness of their closed eyes. He trails his fingers to grasp Even’s hair, messing up the strands even more, and Even lets out a little moan in response. Isak moans back, the sound vibrating against his open mouth, and Even swipes his tongue across Isak’s oh-so-gently. 

When the back of Isak’s legs hits the bed, he is gently pushed down. Isak goes willingly, spreading himself across the fluffy blanket, spreading his legs slightly. Even settles between them, surrounding his forearms around Isak’s head. Instead of it feeling suffocating, Isak feels loved. He grasps Even’s hoodie between his clenched fist and pulls him back in again.

They begin to kiss again, and this time, Isak swears that he can see the stars as Even rocks their hips gently together.

“Even,” Isak gasps, breaking the kiss gently so that he can talk. Even, however, takes the opportunity to simply nudge his nose down to pepper kisses down to Isak’s neck.

“Yes?” Even murmurs against Isak’s cool skin, never once becoming too warm or overbearing.

“Make love to me,” Isak whispers, spreading his legs just a little bit more to allow Even just that little bit closer.

At this, Even pulls away, lifting his head from the crook of Isak’s neck. Because honestly, Isak is surprised at himself too. This is the furthest they’ve gone, the only exception being a handjob or two, and the large amount of time spent in only their boxers around Even’s flat. However, most of that was of Isak’s insistence, seeing as even Even’s flat was still a little too warm to comfortably cuddle with clothes on.

This, however, is a whole new territory for Isak.

“Are you sure?” Even whispers, his breaths shaky. Isak loves that he can do this to Even.

“I’m sure,” Isak replies, reaching his fingers up to slowly pull down the zipper of Even’s hoodie. Even, however, pulls back and runs to his bag at the other end of the room. When he comes back, he’s holding some condoms and a bottle of lube in his hand. 

As they take the rest of their clothes off, the stars come out. The only light is coming from the small lamp on the bedside table, and Isak could see the stars clearly, if he concentrated hard enough. But then, he wouldn’t be able to see Even, who is far prettier than the stars.

The image of Even aroused burns a hole through Isak’s mind, his neurons with firing new synapses at such a rapid rate that Isak cannot speak. He is breathless, as Even removes his clothing, and finally,  _ finally,  _ his boxers. The way that Even shamelessly shares his soul with Isak, gives Isak the courage to do the same thing in return.

And then, it’s just the two of them, together, gasping choked out breaks in unison, the slide of Even against him,  _ inside  _ him. Isak lets out stuttered cries throughout it all, not just out of pleasure, but out of sheer disbelief. Disbelief that he is allowed to have this. 

Isak was so wrong before he met Even. Being happy and out of the closet are not mutually exclusive events. They aren’t even independent events. They are completely dependent on each other; a perfect positive one correlation.

It’s not just Even around him, touching him, breathing him in that does it for Isak. It’s also the fact that Isak is allowed to have this, completely raw and uninhibited. Simply two souls together, in a remote cabin in southern Norway, intertwined as one.

They don’t forget about the awkward moments, like when Isak nearly knees Even in the balls, or when Even pours the lube out a little too fast, spilling it all over the bed. Isak doesn’t care that it’s a little painful at first, because Even is there to hold him. He doesn’t care that Even makes a mess of the bed, because they can only giggle about it, and then wash the sheets later. Most importantly, though, he doesn’t care because this is quite possibly the best moment of his life. It’s messy, and little awkward sometimes, but the end result is the same; a cacophony of heavy breaths, and pleasure like Isak has never known it to be before. It’s completely beyond the biological mechanisms involved in sex. He and Even, what they have, is everything.

When Isak comes, it’s with an arched back, eyes rolled into the back of his head, the cries in his throat silenced to halted gasps. Even comes, not a second after, his nose smushed against Isak’s cheek, his moans heavy and loud, his hips stuttering, his lips whispering out sweet nothings that are incoherent to the rest of the world. 

  
  


They end up showering together, and Even makes the shower cold, because that’s what Isak likes the best.

When they get out of the shower, they collapse back on the bed, careful of the mess. Isak burrows his head into the pillow, half of his face smushed. Even situates himself on the same pillow, their bodies are just barely touching, and yet, Isak has never felt closer to Even than in this moment. Nothing can ruin this, truly. Even though Even has some explaining to do, and even though back home, tensions are high. Isak doesn’t care about that anymore.

“Thank you,” Isak whispers, because it’s true. 

“For what?” Even whispers back, his fingers reaching out to gently caress Isak’s eyebrows.

“For existing.”

 

_ Even is standing next to him, holding his hand as they move in together. Even’s duvet becomes their duvet. Around them, they are surrounded by their friends. Mikael and Elias are laughing on the sofa with Jonas, passing a joint back and forth. Sana and Vilde, and all their buss friends sit cross-legged on the floor, eating pizza, sharing smiles and giggles alike. _

_ “I love you,” Even whispers next to him, tugging Isak in for an embrace.  _

_ “I love you too.” _

_ Even opens his mouth to reply, except the only sound that comes out is KNOCK KNOCK- _

 

“Stay here,” Even’s voice whispers in Isak’s ear, as the pounding on their door continues. He kisses Isak on the cheek, and Isak mumbles out in noncoherent agreement.

Even gets out of bed, and Isak cracks his eyes open to see Even hastily tugging on his jeans and his hoodie, before leaving the room.

Isak could easily fall asleep like this, and he’s about to fall back into dreamland, until-

_ KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK- _

The door opens. 

Isak can hear a faint voice, female, familiar.

Then suddenly, it’s getting closer, and Isak can make out the words.

“Isak!” she shouts. Sana.

The door bursts open, and Iask hastily dives under the covers in order to hide himself.

“What the fuck, Sana!” Isak groans out, nuzzling his entire face into the pillow. Maybe that way, Sana will go away, and Isak can sleep in peace.

“I don’t care that you’re naked, Isak,” San retorts, and Isak pokes his head out of the duvet. Sana has the same frazzled expression as she did earlier today. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sana,” pleads Even’s voice behind her, from the door frame. “Don’t do this!”

“No!” Sana shouts, which promptly shuts Even up. “Isak needs to know where he comes from!”

At this, Isak sits up, and looks Sana straight in the eye.

“Where am I from?” Isak demands, and behind Sana, Even surges forward, sitting down on the mattress. 

“Isak,” Even pleads, tears swimming in his eyes. He reaches out, taking Isak’s face between his two hands.

“I need to know, Even,” Isak says, with so much conviction that it nearly scares him.

“Seventeen years ago, the CIA sent an unauthorised spaceship out on a mission,” Sana says, and Isak ducks out of Even grasp to listen. “To a small moon, just outside of Jupiter, called Europa.”

Isak stares at her, dumbfounded.

“Among the personnel, was a young woman named Marianne Valtersen,” Sana explains, and beside Isak, Even is fiddling with his hands nervously. “When they entered the planet, their goal was clear; take one of the life forms back to Earth for experimentation.”

“My mom…” Isak trails of, because he’s lost the ability to even produce speech. If this were anyone else besides Sana and Even, he would call bullshit. But Even looks terrified, and Sana is speaking with so much conviction, that Isak doesn’t know what to believe anymore.

“Your mom went to Europa, yes,” Sana confirms, and she begins pacing in a fast-paced, nervous fashion. “When the humans got there, they found a young mother holding her newborn baby. However, due to the harsh and cold climate, they had to be careful. They would only be able to threaten this being into coming with them. They did threaten, and the Europan fought back. Do you want to know what happened next?”

“What?” Isak whispers, his brain detached from his mouth, spewing out the words beyond his own volition.

“They shot the mother, point blank in the head,” Sana retorts, crossing her arms as she paces. “And then they stole the baby.”

She looks at Isak and raises her brows. Isak doesn’t know what to say.

“The baby made it into the arms of Marianne, who, upon seeing the Europan being murdered in front of her, decided that she couldn’t let this baby live a short, miserable life,” she explains, and the light begins to dawn on Isak. “So when they returned back to Earth, she ran away back to her home country, and raised the baby as one of her own.”

“Isak,” Even says, his voice much gentler than Sana’s, easing Isak’s nerves just a little bit. “You were right when you told me that you’d been adopted. I didn’t make the connection at first, but then, you started showing more signs, and-”

“Signs of what?” Isak interrupts desperately, his heart hammering through his chest.

“You aren’t human,” Sana says, not ripping the bandage off, but rather, annihilating it.  _ “You’re  _ the baby.”

“What the fuck,” Isak deadpans, because despite how ridiculous it sounds, Isak can’t help but feel like they’re telling the truth. Maybe it’s because Isak trusts these people.

“You’re the baby from Europa,” Sana repeats, as if it’ll somehow make the words more comprehensible. “You were stolen from us, and now, we’re here to get you back.”

_ “Sana,” _ Even snaps, whipping his head around to meet her eyes.

“No, Even,” Sana snaps right back, pointing her finger right at him. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment? My entire life! I don’t care how much you’ve fallen for him, he deserves to come home!”

“He  _ is  _ home!” Even argues, standing up from the bed and baring his full height. For once, he actually looks intimidating. “Do you really expect Isak to come with you? What did you think was going to happen? You were just gonna tell him,  _ ‘oh yeah, by the way, you’re an alien,’  _ and not expect him to freak out? You’re just expecting him to leave the only place he’s ever known?”

“He’s never experienced his full capabilities,” Sana retorts, and for someone as short as her, she sure looks scary. “Do you really think that after this, he’ll want to just go back to being a boring human? He’s Europan, Even, there’s no way that he’ll ever be content with being a human!”

Suddenly, Even switches tongues.

Except, Isak thinks he does. The only problem, is that he’s speaking complete gibberish. Gibberish in the sense that the noises coming out of his mouth are completely incomprehensible to his ears. Isak has heard a lot of languages in his life. He speaks a germanic language, he’s heard the romantic languages, the arabic languages, the russian languages, and so on and so forth. This is completely foreign to anything that he’s ever heard.

The thing is, Isak didn’t even know that Even spoke anything other than Norwegian and English.

Except he’s yelling, that much Isak can tell. Suddenly, so is Sana.

He’s watching a yelling match in a language that he’s never even heard of before, and he’s buck-ass naked in some random Airbnb bed. 

“THAT’S ENOUGH,” Isak yells, in Norwegian, because right now, it’s the only thing that makes sense to him. Both Even and Sana freeze, their eyes wide in shock. 

“Sana,” Isak instructs, only just managing to keep it together. “You’re going to go wait in the living room while I get dressed. Even, you’re going to shut the hell up and let me ask the questions, because I don’t understand shit right now.”

“Is-”

“No!” Isak interrupts, holding up his hand firmly. “Give me some privacy, please.”

While Sana shuffles out of the room silently, Even stares at him, tears filling in his eyes.

Finally, Isak gets out of bed, and reaches for his bag, so that he can grab some new clothes.

He hastily shoves a random t-shirt over his head, completely avoiding eye contact. However, as he stumbles into his boxer, he can’t help but catch Even’s eye.

Isak wants to go forward and comfort him, he really does. He wants to throw himself in Even’s arms and playfully scold him for playing such a weird practical joke. That’s the thing though, it isn’t a practical joke. This is something that is important to Even, that much is obvious.

When Isak is finished zipping up his pants, Even finally moves. He moves closer to Isak, runs his hands down Isak’s neck, feeling his shoulders and his chest. The touch isn’t anything sexual, and it’s completely different to the touches just a couple hours ago. This touch is to simply feel. Isak can’t help but run his fingers up Even’s own chest, and he feels his hitched breaths, feels suppressed sobs in his throat.

“I know you told me to shut up,” Even chokes out, a single tear dripping down his face. “But I just need you to know that none of this was fake. I never expected to meet you, but now that I have, I finally feel complete. Please know that.”

“I know,” Isak whispers, reaching out and wiping the tear off with his thumb gently.

He doesn’t doubt Even’s sincerity for one second. He knows that Even’s heart is in the right place. 

“C’mon,” Isak murmurs, pulling back from the only thing that has ever made him feel at home. “Let’s go talk to Sana.”

Even trails after him to the living room, where Sana is pacing nervously around the sofa.

“Sit down,” Isak commands, and funnily enough, both Even and Sana obey him like dogs. “Please let me ask the questions here.”

Sana and Even nod simultaneously, and Isak lets out a breath of relief.

“What are you?” Isak asks, or rather, blurts out.

“We’re both from Europa,” Sana replies quietly, turning her head to look at Even. Even, however, does not meet her gaze. “Born and raised.”

“Europa,” Isak repeats, and in the silence, he swears he can hear a pin drop. “As in, one of Jupiter’s moons?”

“Yes,” Even answers this time, sniffling the last of his tears. “I know how it sounds.”

“It sounds crazy,” Isak says, and then stops when Even winces. “Sorry, wrong choice of words. I just don’t know how you expect me to believe you.”

“I think you know the answer to that, Isak,” Sana replies, her eye contact unwavering. “The reason why you feel too hot all the time is because your body is meant to thrive is climates of around -180°c, but since you’re an ectotherm, you are able to survive in hotter climates. This is why you never sweat, Isak, even if you’re so hot you feel like you’re going to melt.”

And shit, that actually does make sense. Throughout Isak’s entire life, he’s felt like a freak for only wearing t-shirts in below freezing temperatures, or for not sweating after playing football. Maybe, just maybe, this makes sense.

“Okay,” Isak humours them for a second. “So why would these humans want to steal me to experiment on me?”

“That we don’t know,” Sana explains, casting his gaze down to her clasped hands in her lap. “We can maybe guess that they were curious about our nature, but we don’t know why they murdered your mother. Marianne was the one who helped establish communication with our planet in the first place, and she came up with the pact.”

“The pact?”

“We shall maintain peace and harmony with the beings from Europa,” Even says, although it sounds more like he’s reciting it from a textbook. “And no species will be allowed to visit one another on either planet. Breaking this pact will result in strife, war, and ultimately, the destruction of mankind as we know it.”

“But the humans broke it,” Isak repeats, and he refuses to acknowledge that he doesn’t refer to himself upon the utterance of the word  _ ‘human’. _

“The human broke it,” Sana confirms. “And that’s where me and Even come in. We’ve been training our entire lives, with the hope that one day, we can travel to Earth and find the baby. Whoever does it will have the highest title of honour in Europa, the minute that they return with the baby.”

“So you and Even are…” Isak trails off, unable even say the sentence out loud.

“Aliens,” Sana says, and then smirks a little. “Extraterrestrials, otherworldly, however you want to call it.”

“And I’m…”

“You’re one of us,” Even replies softly, and he meets Isak’s gaze in that secret way that he does. It’s as if they are the only two in the world, even if they’re standing in a crowd full of people.

“Okay, I can almost believe that,” Isak says, and he begins to match Sana’s nervous energy, pacing around the sofa. “But you seriously can’t believe that I’m going to come with you to Europa.”

“Isak,” Sana says, standing up from her spot on the sofa. “You don’t understand. You’re famous back home, and we’ve put all of our resources into trying to find you for the past seventeen years. You can come with us, and realise just what your body is capable of.”

“You’re calling it home,” Isak replies quietly, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table, suddenly defeated. “But it’s  _ your  _ home, not mine. My home is a small kollektiv in Oslo, Norway.”

“You’ll get over it quickly when you realise what you’re missing,” Sana argues, powering through, as if Isak’s lack of energy is because she’d stolen it. “The Europan people are smart, smarter than humans. You wouldn’t need to worry about things like wars and dickheads like Donald Trump threatening to blow the whole world up with nuclear bombs. We keep the peace with a level head. It’s a better, more sophisticated society, what more could you want than that?”

“I don’t know about you,” Even retaliates, before Isak has the chance to say anything. “But I’ve really liked being able to express my opinions, and to learn the different ways that humans have built societies beyond maths and sciences. I know that humans aren’t perfect. They’re far from it. But I also know that I have been the happiest that I have ever been living on Earth. I’ve gotten a diagnosis, Sana. You know, for the thing that made me go crazy last year? It’s because there is a chemical imbalance in my brain, and it can be managed. Europa doesn’t offer that to me. So I don’t care what you say, nothing can beat this wonderfully fucked up planet. That’s why I’m staying here.”

“Even,” Sana says, flopping back down onto her spot on the sofa. “This isn’t your home.”

“It is now,” Even replies, and it feels final. “Isak, I know what she’s told you is enticing, but you also need to think of it this way. Imagine living in a place where there is only one right answer, where you can’t express your opinions or else you’ll be shunned. Or where you can’t show your emotions, otherwise you’re unstable. You remember when I told you that my biggest fear was not being able to express myself? It’s because, for so long, I was told what to do and how to do it. But I’m done with that, and I don’t want you to fall into that loophole too.”

“You know what?” Sana retorts, the fire quickly returning back into her eyes. “I wasn’t going to say it, but I will now. Do you really think that Even loves you? Don’t you think that it’s a little weird how Even found you so quickly, and didn’t tell you about who you really were? Or about how he’s just  _ admitted  _ to being mentally unstable, but he’s going to play the guilt card so that you’ll follow him around anywhere. Even if he never returns to Europa, do you really want to spend your life with him?”

“What a typical fucking Europan response,” Even laughs, his blue eyes cold in a way that Isak has never seen them before. “Do you really think that I would ever do that to Isak? Or to anyone, for that matter? Sana, you’ve known me your entire life, how the  _ fuck _ could you sincerely think that? Or is this just you, pulling your tricks again so that you can manipulate Isak into coming back to Europa with you so that you can earn the  _ ‘model citizen of Europa,’  _ title?”

“That’s just it, Even!” Sana yells, her voice slowly but surely losing its composure. “Everyone fucking  _ hates _ me back home! Because I’ve chosen to wear this hijab, and follow Islam, all of a sudden I’m the traitor because I don’t believe in the Gods of the land and the sea? I  _ need  _ this, because no one will ever take me seriously until I prove them wrong! Isak is my ticket to that!”

“Sana, wait,” Isak interrupts, holding up his hand to make sure that she doesn’t speak over him. “You’ve just solved your own problem right there. You don’t like the way that you’re treated back home, and I get it, I really do. But I’ve also spent my entire life on Earth, and I’ve seen just how compassionate and kind humans can be. There is a place for you here, even though the world can be a little cruel sometimes. You have people around you who love you, you have us, and your brother, and your buss friends, who all accept you for who you are, hijab and all. Don’t let that all go for your fifteen seconds of fame.”

“Fuck,” Sana sighs, resting her hands on her hips. “You’re right,  _ fuck.” _

She flops down on the sofa, defeated.

“I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear,” Isak continues, leaning forward and resting his elbows against his knees. “But it’s the best I can offer you. And I don’t know what will happen with me, but before I decide anything, I’m talking to my mom.”

The three of them sit in silence, ears ringing.

Outside, the wind echoes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah also, I know I made Isak bottom in this part, but my general view is that the boys switch. If I do end up writing more smut for this verse, who knows what will happen lmao!  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated <3  
> Thank you so much for reading :)


	5. Mission: Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi, Mamma,” Isak replies, holding his breath.
> 
> “Isak!” Marianne’s voice comes through the phone excitedly. “How are you, my baby?”
> 
> “I need to see you,” is what Isak says instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I’m really sorry that it’s taken me so long to get this last chapter out! Life has been kicking my ass recently, but I gotta say, with the completion of this fic, I’ve just kicked the hell out of life’s ass. I’m so excited to share the final part with you.  
> First, I need to thank [Sassy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/valtersass/pseuds/valtersass)  
> , my dearest beta, who has cheered me along this entire way. You have been such a huge help, honestly! Thank you for dealing with my strange poetic ramblings and fixing the hell out of this fic. <3  
> Secondly, thank you to my sun, my star, [Mikki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skamzombie/pseuds/Skamzombie)  
> , who so selflessly looked over this for me when I was feeling Insecure about my writing. Throughout this entire process, Mikki, you have helped so much. You’ve given me a reason to keep writing, because I can’t help but feel your warmth and positivity and genuinity in every word you say. I love you so much!  
> Also a huge shoutout to the Morally Ambiguous™ squad for listening to my complaining, being my support system, and for never giving up on me. I love you guys so much.  
> And finally, thank you, whoever is reading this. Thank you for all your lovely comments and kudos. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that people other than me are excited about this little universe that I have created. I love you so much, dear reader. You give me a reason to keep writing, way beyond my own selfish motive. Thank you for joining me in this journey. This one’s for you.  
> All the love in the world (and beyond)  
> 

Location: Drammen Stasjon, Norway

22/10/2016 kl. 07:34

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mamma,” Isak replies, holding his breath.

“Isak!” Marianne’s voice comes through the phone excitedly. “How are you, my baby?”

“I need to see you,” is what Isak says instead. “I’m probably about an hour and a half away, is that okay?”

“Uh, yeah,” Marianne replies, and Isak can head the confusion in her voice. “Are you okay, Isak?”

“I just need to see you,” Isak hesitates for a bit. “Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay, Isak,” his mother says, and then takes a deep, audible breath. “I’ll see you in a bit?”

“Yeah, see you.”

 

Location: Drammen Stasjon Train Carriage, Norway

22/10/2016 kl. 07:47

Even thinks that he can cut through the tension with a knife.

He and Isak are sitting next to each other, and across from Sana. And even though they’ve all come to an agreement, the conversation is still awkward. Especially with Isak.

 

_ “Isak,” Even pleads as Isak gets into bed once more, settling on top of the covers. “Please talk to me.” _

_ “You want to know if I’m mad that you kept this from me,” Isak says, his voice tight and controlled. “Honestly, I don’t know.” _

_ “I didn’t want to keep secrets with you,” Even explains, reaching out to cup Isak’s cheek. To his relief, Isak doesn’t flinch. “I wanted to protect you. I guess that I maybe got a little selfish along the way.” _

_ “You are a lot of things, Even Bech Næsheim,” Isak murmurs, his own fingers trailing along Even’s wandering hand. “But selfish isn’t one of them.” _

_ They fall asleep like this, hands intertwined, their bodies completely passing out from pure exhaustion. _

 

When they hastily woke up at the crack of dawn along with Sana, and began the track back to downtown Drammen, there was no conversation.

And now, as Even watches the mountains pass by him, as the train picks up speed, he can’t help but sigh.

“You okay?” Isak’s whisper cuts through the tension, his voice amplified in the silence. He reaches out to gently caress Even’s hand, and Even feels a wave of gratitude rush through him. Isak, in spite of everything, in spite of how confused he must be right now, is comforting  _ him. _

“Yeah, yeah,” Even reassures, trying to ignore Sana’s curious gaze at their interaction. “Are  _ you  _ okay?”

“I don’t know,” Isak sighs, and Even frowns, rubbing his thumb along the back of Isak’s hand gently. “I think I just need to sleep for a bit.”

“Go ahead,” Even murmurs, shifting his body and presenting his shoulder to Isak; a clear invitation for Isak to rest his head upon it.

He can feel Sana’s eyes burning a hole through them as Isak settles down quietly, nuzzling his nose softly into the crook of Even’s neck. His long lashes flutter close against Even’s bare skin, and he resists the urge to squirm from the tickling sensation.

They sit in silence as Isak’s breaths get deeper and deeper, his mouth becoming lax against Even’s collarbone. Even wraps his arm around the back of the seat in order to accommodate the sleeping teenager.

“I was wrong,” Sana whispers, in Europan, keeping her tone low as to not wake Isak. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you more balanced.”

A little instinct in Even wants to wince at Sana’s unintentional choice of words, but he suppresses it. He know what Sana means. She is talking about the Europan concept of balance; something that each and every Europan strives for in their lives. She is not referring to his disorder. Perhaps it is a testament to how much Even has managed to assimilate into Earth culture in such a short amount of time. The thought doesn’t even scare him as much as it used to.

“I love him,” Even admits softly, reaching out to run his fingers through Isak’s curls. In his sleep, Isak mumbles nonsensical ramblings, his lips brushing against Even’s pulse. 

“It’s more than that, though,” Sana point out, and it is not a question. Sometimes, Even loves just how well she can read him.

“It’s more than that,” Even admits, more of an echo than anything else. Sana nods, and then she rests her head against the window. Slowly, her eyes flutter shut, and her breathing evens out.

Despite the circumstances, despite the fact that Isak’s life is about to change, Even has never felt more balanced in his life.

Location: Train Carriage, Oslo Sentralstasjon, Norway

22/10/2016 kl. 08:33

“Isak,” whispers a familiar voice in Isak’s ear, calm and soothing. “We’re here.”

Isak nuzzles into the the comfortable coolness of Even’s chest, breathing in the faint scent. He can feel Even’s chest shaking slightly, a tell-tale sign that he’s laughing. Isak can’t help but let out a sleepy giggle of his own, because they both know how much Isak hates waking up.

 

_ “Baby,” Even mumbles in Isak’s ear, and a cool hand runs its soft fingers through Isak’s hair. “Time to wake up.” _

_ “Nei,” Isak moans, except the sound comes out muffled, because his mouth is smushed into Even’s chest. “Let me lie here forever.” _

_ “We have school in half an hour,” Even points out, but Isak doesn’t care, because Even makes absolutely no attempts to get up. Instead, they lie in comfortable, early morning, silence. The only noise comes from the birds outside, who chirp in their morning bliss. Outside, the world remains untouched by the young boys’ footsteps. Dew drops from the remaining few leaves, the frost on the window panes still unscraped, and the commuters begin their daily treks. Isak and Even, however, lie together in their cocoon of bliss; completely separate, and yet, so integrated with the rest of the world. Isak and Even belong with the trees and the architecture and the citizens without fail, without question. It is perhaps the most natural thing to have ever graced the Earth, despite the fact that neither of them even come from Earth. Curious, how strange and simultaneously delightful these things can be. _

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Isak can see the glint in Sana’s eyes. The corners of her mouth turn upwards, effectively making her dimples appear. Isak likes to think that given time, he can trust Sana again. She has a good heart, despite it not being human.

“Let’s catch the bus now,” Even says, effectively bringing Isak out of his own head. “Where to, baby?”

“Uh,” Isak hesitates, and he suddenly becomes aware that he doesn’t even flinch at the obviously romantic pet name in public. “Line 12 towards Kjelsås.”

“Let’s go then,” Sana pipes up, standing up confidently, much more confidently than how Isak’s feels. 

And together, they exit the train station, and hop on the tram.

 

Location: Line 12 til Kjelsås, Oslo, Norway

22/10/2016 kl. 08:43

“Hey, Sana?” Even’s voice cuts through the silence of the early morning bus, just past rush hour. 

“Hm?”

“How did you even find us?” Even stares curiously at the strange extraterrestrial in front of him.

“I tracked your phones,” she says nonchalantly, still staring out the window.  _ “Duh.” _

  
  


Location: Europa, Jupiter.

21/06/1999 kl. 21:21, Earth time.

Marianne’s soft cries fill in the ship, however, they are muffled by the screaming baby. The baby probably does not know why it is screaming, however, its life has changed forever.

_ It should be crying,  _ Marianne thinks to herself, wiping the tears on her face with her bloody hand.  _ We should all be crying. _

“Did you find them?” A voice demands, somewhere to Marianne’s right. She does not have the peace of mind to try and guess who the voice belongs to.

“No,” says another voice, quieter, softer. “They should be a little older. This one is a newborn.”

“We can still experiment on this one, right?” says a feminine voice, and at the same time, bile rises to Marianne’s throat.

“Sure we can,” the second voice agrees. “But the one we were looking for has yet to be found.”

 

Location: Valtersen Household, Oslo, Norway

22/10/2016 kl. 08:59

The door opens with a slow creak, which is a noise that Isak hasn’t heard in a long time.

Behind the door stands Marianne Valtersen, still dressed in her lounge clothing, long brown hair peppered with grey. However, when Isak looks into her eyes, he sees  _ life. _

“Hei, Mamma,” Isak chokes out, and Marianne grins, the same grin that whispers  _ home  _ and  _ comfort  _ into his ear. He can’t help the wide smile that makes its way onto his face, and it seems that Marianne cannot either, as she rushes forward to wrap her arms around Isak’s shoulders.

Isak wraps his arms around her thin waist tightly, and he breathes in her warm scent. For the longest time, his mother’s hugs felt suffocating, as if he were in a sauna, choking under the smoldering heat. Now however, it feels like coming home after a long day. Or, in Isak’s case, a long year spent not living with her.

“Hei, Isak,” Marianne whispers, her voice soft and small, almost as if she’s in awe. “My baby, how are you?”

At this, Isak pulls away. He can’t help but duck his head at the question, as if trying to shield himself from the attention.

“Mamma?” he asks instead, unable to keep the shakiness out of his voice.

“Yes, baby?” she asks, furrowing her brows in concern. Her eyes flicker once to Even and Sana, who are stood behind him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Marianne pales. To anyone else, this question may not give anything away. However, as Isak meets her blue eyes, wide and honest, he knows that she understands exactly what she means.

“Why don’t you come inside,” Marianne murmurs, tucking her hair behind her ear with shaking fingers. “I’ll make tea.”

Isak follows her through the doorway, and he can hear Sana and Even’s hesitant footsteps behind him.

“Take off your shoes,” Isak murmurs to them, as he begins to toe off his runners. “Mamma doesn’t like dirty footprints on the linoleum.”

“Isak,” Even interrupts, as Sana moves to remove her shoes. Even however, has not moved. “Are you okay?”

“I-,” Isak hesitates for a second, watching as his mother’s form retreats down the hall and into the kitchen. “Can I get a raincheck on that?”

Even blinks, his brows furrowed in confusion. “What does that mean?” he asks, and then just like that, Isak is once again reminded just how  _ different _ they are.

“It means you need to ask him later,” Sana interrupts, shrugging her shoulders casually.

Both Isak and Even turn to her, both with varying levels of disbelief painted on their faces.

“What?” Sana asks, her tone growing defensive. “I heard Noora say it once.”

She shrugs past the two boys, and Isak and Even finally jump out of their stupor. Even rushes to take off his shoes as Isak follows Sana down the hall.

Although the walk from the front door to the kitchen is short, it feels like a lifetime to Isak. Pictures are strewn across the walls that are surrounding him. Isak, five years old, dressed in his football uniform, his arm slung around a smiling Jonas. Isak, eight years old, and Lea, four years old, sat on the living room sofa, Christmas presents strewn all around them. Lea is smiling, completely innocent and oblivious to the fact that her older brother looks slightly uneased. In the corner of the picture Marianne sits on the chair opposite her kids, a vacant expression on her face. Isak wants to look back at these memories with disdain, he really does. It would be so easy to blame his mother for the fact that his childhood was a little fucked up. In retrospect, however, he recognizes that Marianne had even less control over the entire situation than he did.

At the end of the hall, on the right, sits a picture of Isak and Marianne. In this picture, they are sat on Isak’s bedroom floor, playing with the Legos littered on the carpet. A young Isak sits in Marianne’s lap, completely immersed in his toys. Marianne is simply looking at her son, and although she looks exhausted, although she looks like she’s been to hell and back, she is smiling. This picture was taken on Isak’s eighth birthday, most likely by Terje. The thing was, Isak had never even been aware that this picture was even taken. Marianne must’ve found it after Isak had moved out.

After Isak had moved out, that fateful night a little bit over a year ago. After his father had left for the second time and Marianne had broken down on the floor, crying, again. After Isak had hastily packed a backpack full of a couple changes of clothes, his laptop, chargers, and his school books. After Isak had shown up to the sketchiest gay bar in Oslo and drank half his weight in beer, and had met Eskild on a drunken whim. That night Isak’s life had changed forever. Now, he feels the repercussions of that decision.

He’d left his mother behind. And now, here she is, and she appears a lot healthier than the last time Isak saw her.

“Let’s go,” Even voice murmurs behind him, placing a comforting hand on Isak’s waist.

Isak jumps slightly, frozen in front of the picture in front of him.

“You were a cute kid,” Even remarks, moving his hands up to Isak’s shoulders in order to give him a subtle push. Isak begins to walk again.

“Am I not cute now?” Isak whispers teasingly, fully aware that his mother is now right in front of them, bustling around the kitchen with a kettle in hand.

“The cutest,” Even whispers back, furrowing his brows, as if affronted that Isak would even doubt him.

“You two are gross,” Sana teases, sat on her stool, her elbows rested on the kitchen table. Even sticks his tongue out at her.

Marianne turns back to Isak, and suddenly the mood sobers up a little bit.

“What kind of tea would you like, Sana?” she asks, and Isak has to blink back his surprise. Apparently, he’d taken a little bit longer in the hallway than he’d thought.

“I’d love some green tea, if you have some,” Sana replies, a soft smile adorned on her face.

“Of course, love,” Marianne hums, and then she turns to Even. “And you- uh sorry, I don’t think I got your name, dear?”

“I’m-”

“This is Even,” Isak interrupts, taking a deep breath. Better to rip the bandage off. “My boyfriend.”

In another world, this would have been the end of the world. However, in this cozy kitchen, in this world, nothing changes. 

“Lovely to meet you, Even,” Marianne says, reaching out to shake Even’s hand. If she is surprised by this news, she doesn’t show it.

“Lovely to meet you, too,” Even replies, shaking her hand, a large smile on his face. Isak can see the pride shining in his eyes. The feeling blossoms in Isak’s chest, light and airy.

“Isak and Even, would you like some tea?” she asks, pulling her hand back and walking back to the cupboard to take out the green tea.

“Yes, please,” Even says, at the same time that Isak murmurs a quiet, “No, thank you.”

As the water boils, Marianne comes back around to stand against the kitchen counter, resting her hands on the edge of it.

“What do you want to know?” she asks, her voice quiet, however honest and open. 

Isak sits down on the stool next to Sana gingerly, and Even does the same to his left, his long legs spilling out underneath him.

“Am I really…” Isak pauses for a second, unable to even fathom how ridiculous these words seem when they come out of his mouth. “Am I not human?”

The question that Isak has been trying to figure out for his entire life is suddenly all laid out in front of him, blunt and unmerciful. Marianne bites her lip in apprehension, however, she does not break eye contact. Just like that, Isak  _ knows.  _ He didn’t doubt Even at all last night, however, the shock, or something along those lines, stopped him from processing the words too deeply. The words that have always been at the back of Isak’s mind since he had been introduced to other children. The words,  _ I am not human,  _ which admittedly, have had a much bigger impact on the words,  _ I’m gay. _ Not only was Isak the guy who was gay, but somewhere, deep down, he knew that he didn’t exactly fit in with these people at all. Because he was the freak who wore a t shirt and shorts in the dead of winter, and still felt vaguely warm. He was the freak with the crazy mother and the absent dad. He didn’t belong on this earth.

Now, however, maybe he has a place.

“No, you aren’t,” Marianne confirms, and nothing changes. Rather, for once in his life, Isak feels stable. He feels like things are finally making sense for once. “How did you figure it out?”

“They told me,” Isak says, pointing to his left and right to Sana and Even. 

“We knew there was something different about Isak right away,” Sana explains, leaning forward and interlacing her fingers together on the counter. “Even and I both come from Europa, you see. As I’m sure you know, after your messages we have been trying to find Isak.”

“I knew this day would come,” Marianne sighs, bowing her head in defeat. “I’m guessing you want him back?”

“Hold on,” Isak interrupts, and all heads turn to him. “I’m not going anywhere with anyone until everything is explained to me.”

“We’ve explained to Isak that you were part of the expedition in 1999,” Sana continues, barely sparing Isak a second glance. He is familiar enough with Sana’s work ethic to know that she will not stop for anything until she is finished explaining everything. “And that Isak was supposed to be subject to human experimentation, but that you were able to take him back to Norway and raise him as one of your own. Other than that, we do not know much of the story.”

“Yes,” Marianne confirms, letting out a long sigh. “I want you to know that I did not make the decision for them to take Isak, and…”

She trails off, her eyes suddenly beginning to fill with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she chokes out, sniffing against the back of her hand. “Your mother, Isak. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save her.”

In a sudden burst of courage, Isak reaches out to grab her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“I don’t blame you for anything,” he says, and he really, really means it. “To me, you’ve always been my mother.”

At this, Marianne bursts out into sobs, and Isak lurches forward, as if on instinct.

Long gone are the times where he used to hug her legs as a young boy when he was scared of the world. Long gone are the times when he could wrap his arms around her and  _ just _ be able to rest his chin on her shoulder. Long gone are the times where he hid behind his mother, scared of his baby sister, because she was scared. This time, he is much taller than her, but it works.

She cries into his chest, and Isak’s heart lurches. As if by instinct, tears of his own spring to his eyes. Instead of the small scared boy, always following his mother, there is a man; a man who would go to extreme lengths to protect the people in his life, pride burning something fierce in his chest.

“I love you,” Isak whispers into her hair, rubbing small circles soothingly into her back. Her scent makes him dizzy, because it’s the scent that screams  _ home. _

“I love you so much,” Marianne replies, sniffling once again, pulling back to cup his face gently. “My beautiful boy.”

“I’m sorry for leavi-”

“Never apologise,” Marianne interrupts, and although there are tears in her eyes, she is smiling. “Things were never easy for you growing up, I don’t blame you for leaving.”

Isak smiles, a true smile, wide enough to hurt his cheeks. This feels like home.

“I don’t care that I wasn’t born on this Earth,” Isak says, braving a glance at both Even and Sana, who are looking at the display of love in front of them with tears in their eyes. “Because this is my home.”

“You’ve always been home, baby,” Marianne replies, swiping a thumb across his cheek to wipe away the stray tear that had fallen down Isak’s cheek.

“And you’ll always stay home,” Sana murmurs, and when Isak snaps his head to look at her, she is wiping away tears of her own. “I’m sorry that I ever tried to take that away from you, Isak.”

“It’s okay,” Isak replies, wrapping an arm around his mother so that he can fully turn to address Even and Sana. “I do have one more question, though.”

“Yeah?” Sana asks, shifting her gaze to Even hesitantly.

“What are you going to do now?” Isak asks, flitting his eyes between the both of them. “What are you going to tell them?”

“I’m going to tell them that we haven’t found anything yet,” Sana replies firmly, nodding her head in affirmation. “And that we need a more permanent residence in Oslo in order to figure it out.”

“I’ve already reported back,” Even says, and his eyes hold the same sincerity in them as Sana. “I’m staying here. With you, if you’ll have me.”

Even and Isak’s eyes meet, and for once, Isak can see the fear in the clear blue irises.

“I’ll have you.”

“Even, you’re from Europa, yes?” Marianne pipes up, and focusses her gaze solely on him.

“Yes,” Even confirms, and Isak can see the slight uneasiness in his expression. “Born and raised. I’ve only been on Earth for about two weeks now.”

Isak blinks in surprise. He sobers up a little bit, and takes a step back from his own head. He and Even have only known each other for two weeks. They have only been dating for one week.  _ Woah. _

“Your mother,” Marianne asks, and Isak turns his head back to his mother, furrowing his brows in confusion. “Do you remember her?”

“Yes?” Even says, although he poses it more like a question. He meets Isak’s gaze, and raises his eyebrows, as if to say,  _ what the fuck? _

“Do you remember your father?” Marianne continues, her voice emotionless and business-like, which is something that Isak has never heard from his mother before. 

“Uh, not so much,” Even says, his words careful and slow. “But us Europans leave our parents from a young age, and never really form close bonds with them, so I barely have any memory of my parents.” 

“Where did the name “Even,” come from?” His mother asks, and Isak can’t help his burning curiosity either. Even has this entire life that he has kept from Isak. 

“Mine and Sana’s names are technically vague translations of our Europan names,” Even explains, leaning forward on his elbows. “In Europan, my name is-“

His tone is soft spoken, which is unlike the harsh unfamiliar tones that he and Sana had used last night. Hearing Even speak like this makes Isak’s heart flutter in a way he’d never would’ve imagined. This is Even’s native tongue, which is something he didn’t even know of until last night. However, now knowing that Norwegian is not Even’s first language, Isak can hear the subtle accent in his words. 

“That’s beautiful,” Isak murmurs, and then is shocked when all heads turn to him. He hadn’t even realised that he’d said that out loud. 

Even smiles at him, one of the secret smiles that they typically share in a room full of crowded people, or when they’re hanging out with the boys. Isak used to think that Even was being subtle about his affections for Isak’s sake. Now however, he realises perhaps that this is not Even’s intention. Even is subtle in his affections because his affections are meant  _ only  _ for Isak. 

“Anyways,” Even continues, and the gleam in his eyes remains. “I remember being called something sounding like ‘Even,’ when I was young, so I chose that as my Norwegian name.” 

“I wondered the moment you stepped into the house,” Marianne says, and Even turns his attention back to her again. “I always thought that Anders was foolish, but I never thought that you were actually real.”

Even blinks at her, uncomprehendingly.

“Mamma?” Isak asks, softly.

“The real reason we went on this mission,” Marianne explains, pulling back a little bit from Isak’s embrace. “Was to fix our mistakes.”

“Your mistakes?” Sana repeats, furrowing her brows tightly.

“This wasn’t the first mission to Europa,” his Mamma replies, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I wasn’t on the first mission, as I was still working on my thesis for my master’s degree. Anders, and a few of my other colleagues, sent out the very first expedition to Europa. When they landed, they were initially met with hostility. The CIA contacted me because they were aware of my research on extraterrestrial life that I was currently working on. They asked me to intervene, and I helped Earth and Europa come up with the pact. Unfortunately, Anders had already done something very stupid.”

“What?” Sana asks, and for the first time, she looks completely gobsmacked.

“He fell in love with an Europan,” Marianne sighs, rubbing her temples. “From the looks of it, mated with her. I have reason to believe that Even is Anders’ son.”

“You-” Even stutters, his eyes wide. “How? What?”

“You’re his spitting imagine,” Marianne replies calmly, as if she hasn’t just turned Even’s entire world upside down. “And he always talked about a son, I just never believed him. When we went on the second mission, it was to find this supposed son, but we never found him. Instead, we found Isak.”

“But how do you know that it’s Even?” Isak asks, removing his arm completely from around her Marianne’s shoulders. “It could be anyone.”

“Well, I’d like to run some tests, take a couple blood samples,” she replies, holding her hands up as a universal sign of peace. “But Anders always called his son Even. I later found out that on the second mission, he’d been manic, which is why I didn’t necessarily-”

“Manic?” Even asks sharply, frowning. Isak’s heart drops to his stomach.

“Anders struggled with Bipolar disorder during that time,” Marianne explains, her tone soft and sympathetic. “It led him to do a lot of impulsive things, but through it all, he never stopped mentioning that he needed to find ‘Even’. I think that I’ve finally found him.”

 

Location: Even’s flat, Oslo, Norway

23/10/2016 kl. 11:11

“- and so now, he isn’t talking to you?” Mikael asks, leaning his arm casually on the leg that is sprawled across the floor. In fact, they’re all sitting on the floor of the living room, long teenaged limbs slumped in varying degrees of awkward.

Even rests his back against the foot of the sofa, legs curled in on themselves. Mikael sits opposite him, his back against the coffee table, with Elias’ head in his lap. Elias, in all his lazy glory, is lying smack dab in the middle of the room. If the hard ground bothers him, he doesn’t complain, as he and Mikael are too invested in Even’s dramatic recount of yesterday’s events.

“He’s not exactly ignoring me,” Even corrects, unable to stop himself from wincing at the memory. “He said he just needed some time to figure things out.”

 

_ “Isak,” Even says hesitantly, walking alongside his boyfriend with slow, cautious steps. “Please say something.” _

_ They’ve said their goodbyes to Sana and Marianne, and have been walking in dead silence for the past five minutes. Isak had insisted on walking back to Kollektivet alone, but Even had insisted on accompanying him. _

_ “I don’t really know what to say,” Isak murmurs, his green eyes staring pointedly ahead, guarded in a way that Even has never really seen before. _

_ Even reaches out, and gently takes Isak’s wrist to pull him back. Isak stops walking, and allows himself to be tugged closer. Gentle fingers graze Isak’s arm, and Even takes pride in the goosebumps on the bare skin that he feels under his fingertips. _

_ “Are you mad at me?” Even asks, trailing his wandering fingers up to trace the delicate skin of Isak’s jawline. “Because I didn’t tell you about me?” _

_ “No,” Isak says, eyelashes fluttering long and lovely against his cheekbones, which are flushes under the attention of Even’s fingers. “I understand why you kept it a secret.” _

_ “What’s on your mind then?” Even tries instead, tries to get into Isak’s head. “I hear you thinking from a mile away.” _

_ Isak hesitates for a second, licking his lips in the way that he normally does when he’s concentrating. He doesn’t pull back from Even’s touches, rather, he melts into them, his movements slow and sluggish. _

_ “I’m just tired,” he says, leaning forward, enough to rest his head tiredly on top of Even’s left shoulder. “I feel like my brain is fried.” _

_ “I know, baby,” Even murmurs, wrapping his hand around Isak and rubbing between his shoulder blades. “Me too.” _

_ “And I’m not even surprised about the whole, you know,” Isak lets out a tired giggle, his shoulders shaking slightly. “Not being human thing. I think it’s just about the only thing that makes sense to me right now.” _

_ At this, Even pulls back from the embrace slightly, eyebrows raised. _

_ “Really?” _

_ “Yeah,” Isak says, lifting his head up to meet Even’s gaze again. Even can now see the slight purple discolouration underneath his eyes. “And I’m not mad at you, I promise. I think I just need some time to process this. I hope that’s okay.” _

_ Isak looks down at his shoes sheepishly, and Even’s heart melts.  _

_ “Hey,” Even whispers, cupping his hand gently on Isak’s cheekbone. Isak meets his gaze again. “Never feel bad about needing to take time to yourself. I’m not going anywhere. Just come find e when you’re ready, okay?” _

_ “Okay.” _

 

“-and that was yesterday?” Elias’ voice cuts into Even’s daydream, and when Even looks down, he meets the warm brown eyes that he has taken comfort in many times before. His stomach feels settled because of it, it always does.

“That was yesterday,” Even confirms, fiddling with his phone for the thousandth time that day, as if that will somehow make Isak contact him faster. “He texted me to let me know that he got home safe, but otherwise, it’s been complete radio silence.”

“He’ll come around,” Mikael says, his voice soothing in a way that is normally reserved for whenever Even is feeling vulnerable. “I know that you guys kept it secret from us, but I always knew there was something there. You can see it in the way he looks at you.”

“The way he looks at me?” Even repeats, dropping his phone in his lap to give Mikael his undivided attention. 

“Oh, yeah, dude!” Elias exclaims, lifting himself up from Mikael’s lap with a deep grunt. “Isak is like, totally gone for you!”

“And,” Mikael adds, crossing his legs in front of him as he leans forward. “He’ll be okay. I think he just needs some time to figure things out on his own.”

“Speaking of figuring things out,” Elias says, his excitement from before having suddenly calmed down. “Do you know what  _ you’re  _ going to do?”

“Fuck,” Even groans, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t even know. I don’t even know if I wanna meet the guy.”

“He’s your father,” Mikael points out, his voice unwaveringly reasonable. 

“I know,” Even replies, tugging slightly at the stray bits of hair that have fallen onto his forehead. “But I’ve lived nineteen years without him, it’s not like I miss the guy.”

“No,” Mikael agrees, and despite Even not being able to see him, he can tell that Mikael and Elias are having a silent conversation with their eyes right now. He just knows his friends like that. “But maybe it’s worth a shot? To get in touch with your human side?”

And that’s the thing. Even is only half-Europan. However, despite not even knowing it, Even had managed to find his human side without even being aware of just how human he really was.

 

_ “Even, before you go!” Marianne says from behind him, tugging gently on the back of his arm. _

_ Even stops, and allows Isak and Sana to head into the hallway without him. _

_ “Yeah?” he asks, turning back to Marianne, who is rummaging through a drawer full of papers. _

_ “Aha!” she exclaims, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper with a triumphant grin on her face. “I knew I still had it!” _

_ She walks back over to Even, looking up at him cautiously as she hands him the piece of paper. On the paper, there is a ten-digit phone number, and a street andress scrawled upon it. _

_ “This is Anders’ contact information,” she explains, twiddling her thumbs nervously. “I understand that you may not want to contact him, but just in case, I thought that you should be the one to reach out to him.” _

_ “Thank you, Marianne,” Even says, giving her a small smile. _

_ “My pleasure, Even,” Marianne says, her responding smile sincere and warm. “And do me a favour?” _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ “I can tell how happy you make Isak,” she says, her blue eyes swimming with unshed tears. “Please keep it that way. It’s a good look on him.” _

_ “I fully intend to,” Even replies earnestly, this time, giving her a wide grin. “He makes me just as happy.” _

 

“You know,” Even says, snapping himself back into the past, with his best friends in the entire world. “I think I already have gotten in touch with my human side just fine on my own.”

 

Location: Kollektivet, Oslo, Norway

24/10/2016 kl. 14:36

After having spent the rest of the day feigning sick in his bedroom, all the while ignoring a mothering Eskild, Isak reckons that it’s time to face the music.

 

**To: Jonas Vasquez**

_ Hey dude, im feeling a lot better now. any chance youre available for kebabs? _

 

**From: Jonas Vasquez**

_ Hell yeah man! Bislett, at 15? _

**To: Jonas Vasquez**

_ Sweeeeet _

 

Location: Bislett House Kebab’s, Oslo, Norway

24/10/2016 kl. 14:58

Isak sits, both kebabs in hand, tapping his foot relentlessly.

Here’s the thing; Jonas is not homophobic. Isak knows this. He knows that Jonas is actually very well-informed about equal rights and feminism, thanks to Noora and Eva. He knows that Jonas would rather lie in front of a tank than go to war. He knows that having a gay best friend isn’t a big deal. However, something in Isak’s stomach still curls inwards at the thought.

Maybe it’s simply a residual effect of the way Isak was raised, in the locker room with other boys his age. Maybe it was the way that he was taught to believe that he shouldn't feel what he feels for boys, because those feelings are reserved for girls. 

Jonas, however, has been a constant in Isak’s life longer than he’s known that the word  _ constant _ even meant. Jonas has been through everything, from Isak’s mothers heart-wrenching diagnosis, the medication, his father leaving, the whole nine yards. If Jonas doesn’t understand this, then pigs will fly.

_ “Halla,”  _ interrupts the familiar deep voice of Isak’s best friend. When Isak looks up, Jonas is eyeing the second kebab in Isak’s hands hungrily.

“Halla,” Isak greets, rolling his eyes as he hands Jonas the kebab. Jonas sits down eagerly and takes the food, letting out a muffled,  _ “takk.’ _

“You feeling better?” Jonas says through bites of his chicken, the syllables coming out scarily clear considering the circumstances. 

“Oh, yeah,” Isak says offhandedly, staring at a piece of chicken that sticks out at the corner of Jonas’ mouth, stifling his laugh. “I think it was just a twenty-four hour flu or something.”

“Those are the worst,” Jonas sympathises, crossing his legs.

They sit in silence for a second, and with every passing moment, Isak’s heart starts beating louder. Before he can lose his nerve, he steels his shoulders in preparation.

“You know Even?” Isak asks, as if Jonas doesn’t in fact, know Even.

“Yes?” Jonas says, and luckily, he doesn’t give Isak shit for it like he normally would. Perhaps, he can sense Isak’s nervous energy. Or perhaps, he doesn’t need to keep up the teasing charade now that they aren’t surrounded by any of their other friends. Either way, Isak appreciates it.

“We, uh-” Isak stutters, cursing himself silently. He takes a deep breath, and tries again. “We kind of,  _ haveathing?” _

Jonas smirks, putting his fork down as he swallows his last bite. He turns slightly inwards in order to face Isak a little better, and raises his eyes. Although his gaze is humorous, it is nowhere near malicious.

“What kind of a thing?” he asks, but he doesn’t assume. That’s what Isak loves most about his best friend.

“We’re dating,” Isak rushes out, allowing himself to fully feel the swooping on his belly, the tightening of his chest. He allows himself to feel these emotions, because they’re there for a reason. They’re Isak’s evolutionary protection, in case things go south.

The smirk turns into a smile, real and genuine.

“I did wonder what the deal was between you two,” Jonas says, shrugging his shoulders casually. 

Isak lets out a laugh. It’s not necessarily funny. It’s more of a release of built up tension, from the years and years that Isak has spent buried in the closet.

“That’s the deal,” Isak confirms, feeling his cheeks begin to hurt from the way that he’s smiling so wide. He allows himself to feel it fully, and does not stop is from happening. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“I’m proud of you, bro,” Jonas says, and then he shoves another piece of kebab in his mouth.

Isak slaps Jonas’ back gently, not enough to make him spit out his food, but firmly enough for him to get the message; thank you.

“So why aren’t you with him now?” Jonas asks, poking his fork around in order to play with his food a little more.

“Uh,” Isak hesitates a second, and finally, he takes a bite of his kebab. “I spent the whole weekend with him, saw my mom. I just needed a bit of a break, I guess.”

“And now?”

“And now,” Isak repeats, putting down his fork. “And now, I think I should pay him a visit.”

 

Location: Even’s Flat, Oslo, Norway

24/10/2016 kl. 15:08

_ Knock knock knock. _

Even’s head snaps up from the coffee table, taking his attention away from his homework at the sharp sound. Without a word, unthinking, he gets up from the floor and heads to the door to answer it.

When he does answer it, he is immediately embraced, cold arms tight against his torso.

Even laughs, a full-belly laugh, and wraps his arms around his boyfriend, breathing in the wonderful scent he has come to love.

“I think I figured it out,” Isak murmurs against Even’s collarbone, his words muffled from the fabric of his t-shirt.

“Figured what out?” Even wonders, burying his nose into blonde curls.

“You and me,” Isak replies, and then he is pulling back from the embrace, just enough so that their noses are touching. “We were the mutually exclusive events.”

“What do you mean?” Even chuckles, nuzzling his nose against Isak’s, breaths intermingling.

“We lived in two completely different universes,” Isak replies, eyes bright, swimming with stars. “And then you came here, and my universe suddenly changed. Suddenly, we could exist together.”

“Hm,” Even muses, unable to keep the grin off his face. “I like that. As long as you stay in this universe with me.”

When their lips meet, the world does not stop. The world continues to spin, because Isak and Even, well, they’re home.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions, please, I would love to hear them.  
> For those of you who are wondering, I do have Marianne's diagnosis, which is something I've been planning from the beginning. She has post-partum psychosis, which is something that can happen to women after they've given birth. In Marianne's case, it stems from the trauma of witnessing a death, and only comes out after the stress of giving birth. This is why her delusions were so focussed on Lea, because they appeared right after she was born. This is a theory that I've had about Marianne's diagnosis in canon, and I decided to play around with that.  
> With all that being said, I must say a relieved and bittersweet goodbye to this universe. Maybe goodbye is the wrong word, because I love this world. For now, however, I bid you a warm (not cold!) thank you and goodbye- for now.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to come scream at me [here](https://unendeligtid.tumblr.com/)


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